Boeing Co. (BA:NYSE)

Boeing Co. has received a $275,000 contract from the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) for a study of the magnetic noise associated with the heavy-fuel propulsion system on Boeing's MagEagle Compressed Carriage (MECC) Unmanned Aerial System (UAS). The MECC, designed and built to be magnetically quiet, is a special-mission variant of the company's ScanEagle Compressed Carriage UAS. The company envisions MECC as an extension of the manned P-8A aircraft's combat systems capability, providing P-8A crews with additional validation and supporting the P-8A in simultaneously conducting both low and high altitude anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare and command-and-control intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The company will begin testing the MECC sensor system, vehicle integration and magnetic noise reduction in 2010.

Boeing Co. has received a $500,000 U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory contract on September 30, 2009 for the first phase of a program to demonstrate miniature weapon technology for use on unmanned airborne vehicles. As the prime contractor during the initial nine-month program, the company will use its experience on the Joint Direct Attack Munition and Small Diameter Bomb programs to develop the system integration, seeker, avionics, guidance and control, and mission planning systems. Key suppliers KaZaK Composites Inc. will build the airframe, Ensign Bickford Aerospace and Defense Company will design and build the warhead, and Systima Technologies Inc. will provide integration and testing services for the launcher. Science Applications International Corporation will provide systems engineering for the seeker and seeker algorithms, and the Mustang Technology Group will provide height-of-burst and radar options. The two-year second phase of the program, if awarded, is valued at $6.5 million.

Boeing Co. held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction for the second final assembly site for the 787 Dreamliner program at its Boeing Charleston facility. The facility also will have the capability to support the testing and delivery of airplanes. Locating the second line in North Charleston will allow Boeing to compete in the aerospace market and grow for the long-term benefit of many stakeholders.