ST. LOUIS-Boeing officials have awarded LaBarge Inc. a contract to provide engineering support and manufacturing services for its Joint Unmanned Combat Air System (J-UCAS) X-45C. The contract is expected to exceed $1 million.

LaBarge will manufacture wiring harnesses that distribute power and data signals throughout the aircraft.

The J-UCAS program is a joint effort between the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Air Force, and Navy to demonstrate the technical feasibility, military usefulness, and operational value of a networked system of high-performance, weaponized unmanned air vehicles to effectively and affordably address the needs of 21st century combat missions. DARPA is the central research and development agency for the Department of Defense.

LaBarge will produce more than 150 different wiring harnesses for the X-45C at the Company’s Joplin, Mo., facility. LaBarge expects to begin production this month and continue through November 2005. LaBarge previously produced wiring harnesses for the X-45A demonstrator, the first generation J-UCAS, which began an ongoing series of flight tests in May 2002 and recently completed its first simulated combat mission.

For more information visit www.labarge.com.