Boeing

ATHENS, Greece, May 13, 2009 – The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] sees significant opportunities to partner with Greek businesses, Boeing officials told more than 15 Greek aerospace and defense companies today at a Boeing-hosted supplier conference in Athens.

The event gave Boeing and its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet industry partners the opportunity to learn more about the capabilities of the Greek aerospace and defense industry, and identify projects in support of the industrial participation program tied to Greece’s next-generation fighter aircraft competition, for which the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is a contender.

“Greece and Boeing have a history of partnership and collaboration that extends over more than three decades,” said Gwen Kopsie, director of International Industrial Participation and Alliances for Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. “Boeing commercial and military products have been well represented in Greece for many years, finding a home in a wide range of civil and defense applications. As an enduring partner, we are committed to ensuring that Greek industry, too, is well represented among our global supplier base."
In April, Boeing and Hellenic Aerospace Industry (HAI), Greece’s largest aerospace and defense company, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that outlines areas of potential cooperation between Boeing Integrated Defense Systems and HAI. The MOU included opportunities such as depot-level maintenance of rotary and fixed-wing aircraft; avionics and accessories; aircraft upgrades; metal and composite aerostructures; wiring and wire harness manufacturing; maintenance training for rotary and fixed-wing aircraft; and performance-based logistics.

“Together with our Super Hornet industry partners – an industrial powerhouse with sales exceeding $454 billion a year – we are focused on bringing together the best of industry from around the world to make our products and services more affordable and more capable,” Kopsie added. “We are committed to strengthening existing relationships and creating new opportunities that will bring long-term, high-value work to a broad cross section of Greek companies of all sizes and capabilities."

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32 billion business with 70,000 employees worldwide.

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Contact:

Amy Horton
Boeing Communications
314-233-4368
amy.e.horton@boeing.com