EDWARDS, Calif., 23 April 2007. NASA has awarded a contract to The Boeing Company of St. Louis for engineering and technical support of several specialized research aircraft at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center.

The sole-source, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract may be worth up to $28 million during its five-year performance period now through April 2012.

Boeing will provide engineering and technical support for four heavily modified high-performance aircraft: two F-15s and two F/A-18s. The aircraft have been modified to conduct a variety of flight research missions in support of NASA and other government agencies and private industry.

Technical assistance under the pact may include providing design support for unique Boeing aircraft systems, assisting in ground support operations, and reviewing additional planned aircraft modifications.

Boeing may be required to modify control systems hardware and software, perform modifications and fabricate experimental hardware for these aircraft, as well as perform specific research studies using Boeing-developed models and simulators. In addition, the contract calls for Boeing to provide similar support, as needed, for other Boeing-built aircraft that NASA may acquire during the contract period.