Boeing

The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA], a major developer of integrated intelligence solutions, has received a $5.6 million U.S. Air Force contract to enhance real-time situational awareness in the cockpits of tankers, bombers and heavy-lift aircraft.

"Under this follow-on contract, Boeing will provide 75 Combat Track II flight kits to the U.S. Air Mobility Command (AMC) and the Air National Guard (ANG)," said Brian Knutsen, general manager of Boeing Space & Intelligence Systems Mission Systems. "This award enables Boeing to continue providing aircrews with real-time monitoring and intelligence, which allows the crews to respond to threats more quickly and effectively."

The Combat Track II system currently is fielded in the B-52H, B-1B, C-130 and C-17 platforms as well as air operations centers around the world. This contract marks the first full system deployment on KC-135 aerial refueling assets. The Combat Track II system adds a reliable, secure UHF satellite communication and tracking capability to various AMC, ANG and Air Combat Command airframes, as well as a moving map for the aircrew.

Combat Track II is part of a family of systems from the Airborne Intelligence (AI) section of Boeing's Geospatial Intelligence program in Chantilly, Va. Software developed by the AI team receives, integrates and correlates national Intelligence and theater tactical broadcasts on military aircraft, providing timely intelligence to support combat forces. The latest enhancements to the Combat Track II system allow Line-of-Sight Link -16 tactical data to be transferred to aircraft over the horizon from traditional Link-16 networks.

Under this contract, Boeing also will continue to maintain systems integration and depot-level support to the units fielding Combat Track II kits. To date, Boeing has delivered more than 250 Combat Track II systems to the Air Force under contracts valued at $20 million.