Boeing

Boeing has become the U.S. partner on the Matra-BAe Dynamics Meteor missile team that is pursuing the United Kingdom Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) program.

Officials from Matra-BAe Dynamics and Boeing announced today in London the signing of an agreement that will give the Meteor team access to Boeing expertise in areas such as systems and aircraft integration, and advanced manufacturing techniques.

In addition, Boeing will serve as the marketing lead for potential future sales to the United States and other markets as agreed upon by the Meteor team.

Mike Boyce, vice president, international business development for Boeing Military Aircraft and Missile Systems, said Boeing participation on the Meteor team is an opportunity to grow revenues and is an important step in U.S. and European industries working together.

"We see our participation on Meteor as an opportunity to expand our business, apply our core competencies of large-scale systems integration, and pursue trans-Atlantic relationships," said Boyce. "We are excited about the opportunity of contributing to the Meteor team to ensure our U.K. and other future customers receive the best solution for their requirements."

Matra-BAe Dynamics is a 50/50 joint venture between British Aerospace and Aerospatiale Matra.

"Boeing involvement in Meteor provides a tremendous opportunity for high-tech transatlantic cooperation and will further strengthen the Meteor team, achieving better value for the money for our customers," said MBD chief executive Fabrice Bregier.

The Meteor team consists of MBD, Alenia Marconi Systems, Dasa's LFK, CASA and Saab Dynamics.

Boeing, the largest aerospace company in the world, is a global leader in producing affordable, quality weapon systems and is a world leader in aircraft-weapons integration.

Boeing also is a market leader in precision-guided munitions with the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) program, and is a leader in strike weapons with the Harpoon, Standoff Land Attack Missile (SLAM) and SLAM Expanded Response, Conventional Air Launched Cruise Missile (CALCM) and the AGM-130.

Other Boeing weapons programs include the Longbow-Hellfire launcher and the U.K.'s Brimstone programs.

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