Boeing

The U.S. Army and its Lead System Integrator (LSI) team of Boeing [NYSE: BA] and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) today announced selection of three additional suppliers to play key roles in the U.S. Army Future Combat Systems (FCS) program.

The three new partners will join 15 other firms selected July 10. Together, they will lead teams of more than 90 companies and organizations that will play important roles in the Army's FCS development effort valued at nearly $15 billion.

"Our commitment to the Army is clear," said Dennis Muilenburg, vice president and FCS program manager for Boeing. "We will assemble an FCS team composed of the best of industry. The heart of our LSI concept involves providing the best solutions to help the Army address the challenges it will face for decades to come."

These companies were selected in an innovative, intensive review process developed by the Army and the Boeing-SAIC LSI team. Further FCS supplier announcements will be forthcoming in the next few weeks as additional evaluation processes are completed.

With the Army focus on FCS as a key element in its transformation to the Objective Force, today's announcement is another major step toward completion of the team. "Selection of these industry partners, and their integration into the One Team, is an essential tenet of this program," said Brigadier General Donald Schenk, program manager for Future Combat Systems.

"We are very excited about adding these new team members," said John Gully, deputy FCS program manager, SAIC. "Each system is a critical piece of the System of Systems Architecture which we have defined based upon the Army's requirements and each new team member brings key capabilities to the program."

FCS is a networked "system of systems" using advanced communications and technologies to link soldiers with both manned and unmanned ground and air platforms and sensors. FCS, made up of 18 individual systems, the integrated network, and the soldiers who control them, is the basis for the Department of Defense's visionary plan to transform the Army into a more highly agile force with unprecedented capability that can go anywhere with enough power to overcome any adversary. FCS is an integral component of the Joint Force and is fully integrated into the Department of Defense transformation. It is designed from the ground up to enable both Joint and Interagency interdependence.

In May of this year, the Department of Defense authorized moving the program into the $14.9 billion System Development and Demonstration phase. During this phase, the Boeing-SAIC LSI team is working in tandem with the Army on the design and development of FCS, leading to the fielding of the first FCS-equipped unit by 2010.

Notes to Editor:
Please see original announcement release, dated July 10, 2003.