The Air Force has awarded Boeing a $49.5 million contract to integrate the Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System into 145 F-15E aircraft, the company announced March 24. Installation in the first F-15E is expected in October 2008, with contract completion in December 2010, Boeing said. “When this contract is implemented, JHMCS will be integrated on F-15C, D, and E aircraft,” said Phil King, Boeing’s JHMCS program manager. This agreement is the ninth production contract for JHMCS, which is used in F-15s, F-16s, and Navy F/A-18s.
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.