Boeing Responds to Request for Proposal on Ground-based Midcourse Defense System's Core Completion Contract
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HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Dec. 14, 2009 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] on Dec. 11 responded to a U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) request for proposal on the follow-on core completion contract for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) program. The contract covers all remaining development and deployment work for the GMD core element. Boeing's response will assist MDA in determining its plan for future GMD work.
"We are proud of our role as prime integrator of the GMD system -- delivering an operational defense capability to the United States and its warfighters," said Norm Tew, vice president and program director of GMD for Boeing. "We look forward to the opportunity to continue leading this vital component of the nation's defense."
In March 2008, the MDA announced its intention to award Boeing the core completion contract sole source, stating that GMD "work content areas cannot be performed by any source other than Boeing without substantial and unacceptable programmatic risk, duplicative cost, and schedule delays." Boeing has been the prime contractor for the GMD system since 2001, overseeing an industry team including Orbital Sciences, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Bechtel and Teledyne Brown in developing and deploying the United States' only defense against long-range ballistic missiles. Boeing has been operating under a bridge contact since January 2009 while the core completion request for proposal was finalized. The contract award for the core completion work is expected in January 2010.
The core completion contract is expected to include additional refurbishments of ground-based interceptors, hardware and software upgrades, and planning and execution of future flight and ground tests.
"We are grateful that MDA has entrusted us with such important work," said Greg Hyslop, vice president and general manager of Boeing Missile Defense Systems. "Keeping the contract in the hands of this proven industry team will guarantee a robust capability this country can rely on to defend itself against long-range ballistic missiles."
The Huntsville-based GMD program has deployed more than 20 operational interceptors at Fort Greely, Alaska, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., to defend the United States against long-range ballistic missile threats. An integral element of the global ballistic missile defense system, GMD also consists of radars, other sensors, command-and-control facilities, communications terminals and a 20,000-mile fiber optic communications network.
Source: BOEING
