Boeing Wins Key $5Bln US Missile Defense Contract, Statement Says

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Boeing has secured a $5 billion contract from the US Missile Defense Agency to test and integrate the country's Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system against ballistic missile threats, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

"The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has awarded Boeing [NYSE: BA] the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) System Integration, Test and Readiness (SITR) contract," the statement said.

The US Defense Department said the contract carries a maximum dollar amount of $5,021,000,000. Under the terms of the deal, Boeing will be responsible for engineering, integration, planning and execution of all necessary testing to ensure that the US GMD system meets all requirements, the Defense Department said.

Most of the work under the contract will be performed by Boeing's engineers in Huntsville, Alabama, and is expected to be completed by August 31, 2027, the Department said.

The Ground-Based Midcourse Defense is the United States' primary anti-ballistic missile system for intercepting incoming warheads in space, and is the only missile defense program that can defend the territorial US from long-range ballistic missile threats.

A total of 44 interceptors are currently deployed at Fort Greely in Alaska and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, according to the Missile Defense Agency.