Boeing

Boeing [NYSE: BA] and QinetiQ officials today announced that they are establishing a state-of-the-art network-enabled center for collaboration and experimentation at QinetiQ's Cody Technology Park site in Farnborough, England.

Operational by the end of 2006, the center will offer customers the latest in modeling, simulation and analysis tools to help explore and understand the implications of proposed systems in a real-time, dynamic environment.

Commercial and military customers will be able to network live, virtual and constructive assets in a collaborative development environment to define requirements, evolve capabilities and discover new solutions. They also will have the ability to trade off competing alternatives, or "what if" scenarios, while optimizing design concepts and their performance within the overall "system of systems."

The laboratory's initial capability will be supported by the QinetiQ Unified Experimental Services Testbed (QUEST), with networked nodes across the U.K. in multiple domains, including land, missile defense, air and sea. QUEST connects users to the U.K. government's Joint Multinational Interoperability Assurance Network and, through that, the U.S. government's Combined Federated Battle Lab network system.

Pending both governments' approval, Boeing will provide connectivity to its Laboratory Network, or "LabNet," linking more than 15 Boeing laboratories in the U.S. and Australia as well as U.S. government and industry partner laboratories. This comprehensive network uses Multi-Protocol Label Switching technology and provides an enabling, adaptable and agile network capability that serves the real-time needs of Boeing's distributed simulation and test activities.

Ultimately, Boeing and QinetiQ will have the ability to tie their relevant demonstration and experimentation capabilities together and access them from any location to offer customers greater network flexibility. When fully operational, the two companies will address interoperability and network-enabling issues, and they will use the network to develop solutions in the U.S., the U.K. and Australia.

"This relationship gives both companies the opportunity to apply our advanced technical capabilities and expertise to help meet our customers' needs. It also means we can develop solutions both with and for them in the U.K.," said Guy Higgins, vice president of Analysis, Modeling, Simulation and Experimentation for Boeing Advanced Systems. "In addition, we can now offer this center to our customers for coalition exercises or experimentation programs."

"Modeling and simulation capabilities are increasingly becoming more important for developing military and civil capability," explained Jeremy Ward, acting managing director of QinetiQ's Command & Intelligence Systems Division. "This center will enable us to bring together complementary expertise from QinetiQ and Boeing to support customers' aspirations and cost-effectively deliver state-of-the-art network-enabled capabilities. The center will play a strategic role in both further understanding in this field and developing future operational processes."

The center will comprise development and simulation labs, an integrated test and configuration facility, a world-class presentation and debrief suite, a high-tech control room and a facility to "hook up" military vehicles.