Boeing Company,
ST. LOUIS: Boeing has achieved six years of consecutive on-time deliveries for the Minuteman III missile program with the recent delivery of the 593rd missile guidance set (MGS) to the U.S. Air Force.
Boeing delivered the guidance set Feb. 27 as part of the Minuteman III Guidance Replacement Program (GRP). The MGS has accumulated more than 15.6 million operational hours since its first deployment in August 1999.
“The Guidance Replacement Program team has consistently demonstrated attention to technical excellence, continuous product improvement and customer satisfaction,” said Charles Dutch, Boeing Guidance Replacement Program director. “One of the keys to our success is our relationship with our supplier network over a long period of time. We have a capable, flexible and diverse set of suppliers that has helped us achieve this impressive milestone.”
The Minuteman III program also celebrated the Air Force's declaration of Full Operational Capability on Feb. 25, as all active Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM) now feature modernized Minuteman III guidance system electronics.
GRP is one element of the ICBM Prime Integration Contract, led by Northrop Grumman Corp. and major subcontractor Honeywell. The program modernizes the United States' Minuteman III guidance system electronics, including hardware and software updates, and extends the service life of the Minuteman III MGS through 2030.
Boeing has been the only U.S. Air Force ICBM guidance system integration contractor for more than 50 years on the Minuteman I, II and III systems, the Peacekeeper, the Small ICBM and now GRP.
Boeing has played a key role in ICBM development design, production and maintenance since Minuteman I was conceptualized in 1958. In addition to GRP, Boeing performs ICBM repair activities at its Guidance Repair Center in Heath, Ohio, and is an ICBM prime contractor team member.
Boeing's integrated ICBM product teams include more than 1,000 Boeing employees and span several locations, including Heath; El Paso, Texas; Mesa, Ariz.; Ogden, Utah; Anaheim, Calif., and Honeywell in Clearwater, Fla.
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. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32.1 billion business with 71,000 employees worldwide.
