$766.6 MILLION PLANE CONTRACT FOR BOEING PENTAGON REWARDS CURRENT WORK ON UNMANNED SPY CRAFT.

Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE - The Pentagon announced Tuesday the awarding of a $766.6 million contract to the Boeing Co. to continue the development and construction of three X-45C unmanned combat aircraft in a program with Antelope Valley connections.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency awarded the five-year contract under its Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems demonstration program. Boeing is has a $291 million contract from DARPA for that effort.

``Our X-45 unmanned combat air system will locate and identify a threat autonomously and destroy it with precision weapons, and then stay in the area to improve battle space awareness as a key node in the network-centric environment,'' said Darryl Davis, Boeing JUCAS X-45 vice president and program manager. ``It will dramatically increase the effectiveness of the global strike force.''

The JUCAS program is a joint effort by DARPA, the Air Force and the Navy to develop unmanned aircraft that can take on very dangerous missions, such as attacking enemy radar and missile sites, as well as very dull tasks, such as surveillance missions that last for hours.

Program officials want stealthy, unmanned aircraft that can be launched either from land or an aircraft carrier and that can fly 1,500 miles carrying 4,500 pounds of weapons and electronic gear.

While Boeing will likely build the aircraft in St. Louis, the program has Antelope Valley connections. Boeing's X-45A aircraft are being flown at Edwards Air Force Base and Northrop Grumman is at work on three X-47B aircraft for the program.

The X-45C, slated to begin flying in 2007, will be 39 feet long with a 49-foot wingspan, cruise at 560 mph at an altitude of 40,000 feet, carry a 4,500-pound weapons payload, and fly a combat radius of more than 1,200 miles.

Boeing's two X-45A aircraft have flown 35 test missions at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards.

``The award is a huge step forward that allows the Boeing team to build upon the tremendous success of the X-45A and deliver a revolutionary system capable of gaining rapid access to enemy battle space and engaging sensitive and high-value targets,'' said Jim Albaugh, president and chief executive officer of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems.

The Defense Department plans to spend $4 billion over the next five years to continue the development of unmanned combat jets, including the X-45C and X-47B.

In 2007, officials at the Defense Department will begin an assessment of the aircraft to determine how well they can meet their needs. That testing, which could run through 2010, will provide the Pentagon with information about what capabilities to pursue in follow-on developments of the aircraft.

Jim Skeen, [phone]

james.skeen(at)dailynews.com