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.
The six-week government shutdown did not affect the hours flown by Air Force pilots, a service spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine—avoiding what could have been a major blow at a time when flying hours are already lower than they have been in decades.
