100TH KC-135 ARRIVES FOR MODIFICATION.Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer MOJAVE- BAE Systems BAE Systems British manufacturer of aircraft, missiles, avionics, naval vessels, and other aerospace and defense products. BAE Systems was formed (1999) from the merger of British Aerospace (BAe) with Marconi Electronic Systems. hit a milestone Tuesday with the arrival of the 100th KC-135 refueling tanker that will be modified at the company's Mojave Airport plant. The tanker arrived from an Air National Guard unit at McGuire Air Force Base McGuire Air Force Base (IATA: WRI, ICAO: KWRI, FAA LID: WRI) is a United States Air Force Base located in parts of New Hanover Township and North Hanover Township, in Burlington County, New Jersey. It is also a census-designated place. in New Jersey. The company will spend the next nine weeks modifying the aircraft. The airplane is part of what is ultimately expected to be a $50 million effort to modify 220 KC-135 tankers. The chief modification is the installation of Pacer CRAG (Compass, Radar and Global positioning satellite), a system that eliminates the need for a navigator. ``The arrival of this aircraft is significant because it measures the success of our program,'' said Ben Medley med·ley n. pl. med·leys 1. An often jumbled assortment; a mixture: "That night he dreamed he was traveling in a foreign country, only it seemed to be a medley of all the countries he'd ever been to and , president of BAE Systems Flight Systems. ``Since the inception of this program, we have stayed the course on schedule, on budget, to spec. And we intend to maintain that record.'' BAE Systems' Mojave workers are also replacing dials and other cockpit indicators with multifunctional displays and the latest electronic controls. The contract to begin the modifications to the tanker fleet was awarded in February 1999. The modification work is expected to be complete in late 2002. Of BAE's 450 workers at Mojave, 150 are involved with the Pacer CRAG effort. Among the company's other Mojave projects is the conversion of Vietnam-era F-4 jet fighters Jet fighter may refer to:
BAE Systems was formed by the merger of British Aerospace British Aerospace (BAe) was a UK aircraft and defence systems manufacturer, now part of BAE Systems. History The company was formed as a statutory corporation on April 29, 1977 as a result the Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act. and Marconi Electronic Systems Marconi Electronic Systems (MES), or GEC-Marconi as it was until 1998, was the defence arm of The General Electric Company (GEC). It was demerged from GEC and acquired by British Aerospace (BAe) on November 30 1999 to form BAE Systems. GEC then renamed itself Marconi plc. in November 1999. |
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