ST. LOUIS, 16 Nov. 2009. Boeing [NYSE: BA] won a $500,000 U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory contract for the first phase of a program to demonstrate miniature weapon technology for use on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

"UAVs are increasingly called upon to perform strike operations, and this weapon technology is designed specifically for those missions," says Carl Avila, director of Boeing Phantom Works' Advanced Weapons and Missiles. "The concept behind this technology is designed to generate very low collateral damage and allows warfighters to engage a variety of targets, including those in a suburban terrain environment."

As the prime contractor during the initial nine-month program, Boeing will use its experience on the Joint Direct Attack Munition and Small Diameter Bomb programs to develop the system integration, seeker, avionics, guidance and control, and mission planning systems. Key suppliers KaZaK Composites Inc. will build the airframe, Ensign Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company will design and build the warhead, and Systima Technologies Inc. will provide integration and testing services for the launcher. Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) will provide systems engineering for the seeker and seeker algorithms, and the Mustang Technology Group will provide height-of-burst and radar options. The two-year second phase of the program, if awarded, is valued at $6.5 million.