Boeing

Boeing and ESW-EXTEL SYSTEMS WEDEL Sign AWACS Rotodome Refurbishment Agreement

Boeing [NYSE: BA] and ESW-EXTEL SYSTEMS WEDEL of Wedel, Germany, have signed a licensing agreement allowing ESW-EXTEL SYSTEMS WEDEL to refurbish international airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft rotodomes using Boeing's proprietary refurbishment process.

This new process nearly triples -- to approximately 20 years -- the service life of corrosion protection and will help reduce maintenance, repair and overhaul costs to AWACS operators.

ESW-EXTEL SYSTEMS WEDEL currently performs rotodome refurbishments for NATO AWACS operators.

"Licensing agreements complement Boeing's core business and play an important role in providing products and services that help maintain the readiness of our customers' products," said Torbjorn Sjogren, vice president of International Support Systems for Boeing Integrated Defense Systems.

"This milestone is the result of extensively working together toward a common objective. Emphasizing extensive communication was decisive in focusing our attention on bringing added value and satisfaction to Boeing and ESW's customers," said Dr. Bob F. O'Donovan, ESW's international business development manager.

AWACS rotodomes are composite structures that house surveillance radar mission equipment. The rotating domes, which measure approximately 30 feet (10 meters) in diameter and weigh 4,000 pounds (1.8 tons), are mounted atop the fuselage of a Boeing 707 or 767 platform aircraft.

The new licensing agreement with ESW-Extel was established through Boeing's Intellectual Property Business, which helps the company create, protect and leverage intellectual property as a strategic resource.

ESW-EXTEL SYSTEMS WEDEL is a division of the 2.5 billion euros German Jenoptik Group, GmbH and is headed by President and Chief Executive Officer Wilhelm Hardich and Chief Financial Officer Dr. Hans-Juergen Kunstreich.
A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $30.5 billion business. It provides network-centric system solutions to its global military, government, and commercial customers. It is a leading provider of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems; the world's largest military aircraft manufacturer; the world's largest satellite manufacturer and a leading provider of space-based communications; the primary systems integrator for U.S. missile defense; NASA's largest contractor; and a global leader in sustainment solutions and launch services.
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For further information:
Fernando Vivanco
Boeing IDS Support Systems
(562) 797-4582
Dr. K. H. Stoelting
ESW-EXTEL SYSTEMS WEDEL
49-4103-60-3515