Boeing

The U.S. Department of Defense awarded Boeing [NYSE: BA] a $66 million contract for the fourth low-rate initial production (LRIP) of Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing Systems (JHMCS).

Boeing will deliver the JHMCS to the U.S. Air Force for use by F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots, along with the U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet pilots and foreign military sales to four countries. The program is also moving into full-rate production and anticipates the U.S. military ordering more than 1,500 JHMCS.

"Now that we're in full-rate production, we can continue our deliveries to both U.S. and international warfighters with JHMCS vastly improving their situational awareness and increasing their combat effectiveness," said Mike Rietz, Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System program manager for Boeing.

First used in Operation Iraqi Freedom, the JHMCS displays flight and targeting information on the helmet visor to allow pilots to lock-on and attack air-to-air and air-to-ground targets anywhere within their field of view simply by looking at the targets. This capability enables pilots to launch weapons much more quickly, thereby significantly increasing both their effectiveness and survivability.

Boeing is the prime contractor and integrator for JHMCS and Vision System International, based in San Jose, Calif., is the major subcontractor.