The Air Force has awarded Boeing $110 million for an overhaul of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile flight test system. Under the contract, announced Oct. 2, Boeing will redesign the flight telemetry and termination system for the Minuteman III fleet with work set to be completed by Aug. 31, 2019. Work kicks off with almost $5 million in research, development, test, and evaluation funding in Fiscal 2015, taking place at Boeing facilities near Hill AFB, Utah, along with sites in California and Ohio. The Air Force periodically test launches unarmed Minuteman III ICBMs from its range at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., to ensure the fleet stays reliable. The service selects a missile and crew from one of its three operational ICBM bases, and launches the missile to a site in the Pacific Ocean near the Kwajalein Atoll.
Lt. Gen. Dan Caine, nominee to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the Defense Department needs to upgrade its electronic warfare capability and its EW training ranges; just as his predecessor said at his own confirmation hearing.