Aircraft manufacturer and defense contractor Boeing has signed a contract with the U.S. Air Force to continue as the prime contractor for the nation’s intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) guidance subsystems support. The contract is worth up to $1.6 billion over 16 years and will be primarily performed in Boeing’s Ogden operations. The contract is expected to support a significant number of direct and indirect jobs in Utah.
Boeing’s contribution will maintain the around-the-clock readiness and accuracy of Minuteman ICBM guidance systems — which have logged more than 40 million hours of continuous operation — to ensure safe, secure and effective strategic deterrence into the late 2030s, the Air Force said in a release.
“We built the Minuteman’s guidance system, so no one knows it like Boeing. Our highly specialized facilities and top-flight engineers enable us to sustain it with unmatched quality and precision,” said Ted Kerzie, program director of Strategic Deterrence Systems. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Air Force on this all-important mission.”
The Boeing-built ICBM weapon system has served as the backbone of the U.S. nuclear triad since the inception of strategic deterrence.