Boeing to upgrade missile guidance systems on Minuteman III ICBMs

Missile guidance experts at the Boeing Co. will continue upgrading guidance systems on U.S. Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) under an $8.1 million U.S. Air Force contract modification. Officials of the Air Force Nuclear Weapon Center's Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Systems Directorate at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, are asking the Boeing Directed Energy & Strategic Systems segment in Layton, Utah, to upgrade the communications equipment interface unit (CEIU) in the Minuteman III ICBM guidance system. The order asks Boeing to provide engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) for the nuclear missile's CEIU. EMD means full-scale development. Boeing engineers will provide updates to the Minuteman III's legacy CEIU to a more robust software language and change the communication protocol from telephony to Internet protocol to address security concerns. This project is called Performance Assessment Data System Communications Equipment Interface Unit (PADS CEIU), an interface unit using an analog signal over the telephone line using a standard commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) modem.