Boeing

A joint venture team, composed of Boeing Commercial Airplane Group, McDonnell Douglas Aerospace and CSA Czech Airlines, has been selected to become a strategic partner with Aero Vodochody, a Czech military light attack/trainer manufacturer.

The prime minister of the Czech Republic made the announcement today in Prague, and Boeing officials confirmed notification of the successful tender offer to acquire 34 percent to 40 percent of Aero Vodochody. The Czech firm is perhaps best known for manufacturing 4,000 L-39 fighter-jet trainers for the Warsaw Pact countries.

"We're delighted that our team has been selected," said Catherine "Willie" Pepper, project manager of the joint venture for Boeing Enterprises. "We were confident that our offer was competitive, and we're alooking forward to working with Aero Vodochody and its highly skilled and educated work force.

"The combination of Aero Vodochody's technical capability and manufacturing expertise, as well as the strengths of Boeing, McDonnell Douglas and CSA will make for an exciting business opportunity and, we believe, an excellent investment."

Dollar value of the joint venture offer and specific shares of the respective partners were not revealed.

Boeing, which is leading the joint venture, also confirmed that the effort is outside of the proposed merger between Boeing and McDonnell Douglas, and is much like a previously announced contract from the Seattle-based aerospace company to tap into McDonnell Douglas's engineering and technical capabilities.