Boeing

BRISBANE, Queensland, May 13, 2010 -- Boeing Defence Australia, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA], has announced that the Modernised High Frequency Communications System (MHFCS) has completed testing and been introduced into service with the Australian Defence Force (ADF).

Australia's Defence Materiel Organisation granted Final System Acceptance on behalf of the Commonwealth of Australia. In a news release issued May 12, the Hon. Greg Combet, Minister of Defence Materiel and Science, said the milestone "represents a significant achievement in the modernisation of Defence's high frequency communications capability.

"The purpose of the HFMod [High Frequency Modernisation] is to provide the ADF with a secure, cost-effective information exchange capability for the command and control of deployed forces as a primary survivable system and as a parallel system to satellite communications," Combet added.

Steve Parker, Boeing vice president and general manager for Network & Space Systems – Australia, said, "I am very pleased with Minister Combet's recognition of Boeing's performance on the High Frequency Modernisation project. Since late 2008, Boeing has achieved every milestone on or ahead of schedule, and we remain on track to complete all activities necessary to achieve the formal 'project complete' signoff next month."

Developed under Joint Project 2043, the MHFCS has been independently recognized as the world's most advanced high-frequency communications system due to its levels of automation and performance, long range and clarity, traffic volume and connection speed.

"The MHFCS automates many of the tasks required to establish and maintain long-range communication channels, giving it the capacity to change high-frequency communications on a global scale," said Steve Hudson, Boeing project manager, High Frequency Modernisation.

Boeing plans to market the MHFCS internationally and is discussing the system with several potential customers.

Boeing Defence Australia, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company and a business unit of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, is a leading Australian aerospace enterprise. With a world-class team of more than 1,500 employees at 14 locations throughout Australia and two international sites, Boeing Defence Australia supports some of the largest and most complex defense projects in Australia.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world's largest defense, space and security 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 Defense, Space & Security is a $34 billion business with 68,000 employees worldwide.

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More information on the MHFCS is available here.

Contact:

Sarah Wills
Boeing Defence Australia
+61 7-3306-3132
sarah.e.wills@boeing.com

Fiona Tristram
Boeing Defence Australia
+61 7-3306-3790
fiona.l.tristram@boeing.com