Boeing

The Boeing Company confirmed today that it has signed a contract with the Australian Department of Defence as the prime contractor for the Australian Defence Force High Frequency Modernisation Project (HFMOD).

The contract, valued at more than $300 million, was signed by Lindsay Pears, general manager of the Information & Communications Division of Boeing Australia.

"This exciting project will revolutionise communications within Australia's defence forces and take communication standards into the next century," said David Gray, managing director of Boeing Australia Limited.

"This is a project based on contemporary technology, with the majority of the work, including a substantial investment in R&D, being done in Australia.

"Boeing is pleased to have been selected to provide a nationwide network of distributed high-frequency transmission and receiving stations interconnected by a wide area network, and upgrades to the high-frequency communications systems in Navy ships and aircraft, and Air Force aircraft and transportable communications systems," Gray continued.

Boeing Australia Information and Communications System Division leads an impressive Australian team for this effort, including Thiess Contractors, Siemens Plessey Electronic Systems, Optus Communications, Radio Frequency Systems, Datateck Publishing, and the New South Wales TAFE, supported by Boeing and Rockwell Collins from the United States.

A diverse range of small-to-medium sized enterprises in the building, electronics and specialized communications industries also will support the project.

The project will further develop capability and skills in Australian industry for design and development of large-scale Managed Communication Systems across all bands, creating opportunities for export of cost-effective systems for civil and military applications where telephone and satellite coverage are either not economical or are vulnerable to interception.

Locations for the fixed network stations are North West Cape in Western Australia, Darwin in the Northern Territory, Townsville in Queensland, and the Riverina area of New South Wales. Operations will be centered on Canberra.

Boeing Australia Limited is a leading high-technology company specializing in design, development, manufacture, installation and support of defense combat and communication systems.

Established in Australia for 60 years and with 1,700 employees at facilities throughout the country, Boeing Australia is the prime contractor for the combat and communications systems for the Royal Australian Navy's new Collins class submarines. Boeing also is upgrading the avionics and electronics for the Royal Australian Air Force's F/RF-111C and P-3C aircraft.

A subsidiary company, AeroSpace Technologies of Australia Limited, is a major exporter of aerostructure components to the world's leading aircraft manufacturers.