ST. LOUIS -- Boeing and Science Applications International Corp. announced today that the Future Combat Systems (FCS) program last week successfully completed its System of Systems Preliminary Design Review (SoS PDR).

The SoS PDR is the most comprehensive review of the program to date. It validated that the designs for all FCS systems and subsystems, including the network, sensors, weapons and manned and unmanned vehicles, meet current requirements and will function as an integrated system of systems. The review proved that a family of networked systems will provide greater combat capabilities, including enhanced intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities, across the full spectrum of conflict.

The review involved representatives from the U.S. Army, Boeing, SAIC, industry partners and other government agencies. It was conducted from May 11-14 at the Boeing facility in St. Louis.

“This review marks a major milestone for the program,” said Gregg Martin, Boeing vice president and FCS program manager. “It represents an end-to-end assessment that the program is meeting the Army’s mission needs. This accomplishment was made possible by the hard work and dedication of the thousands of people who are part of the FCS team. We look forward to building on the substantial investments and progress made to date on the program in support of the Army’s full spectrum modernization objectives.”

SAIC Senior Vice President and FCS Deputy Program Manager Dan Zanini noted: “Every system already has a functioning prototype undergoing test and evaluation, which greatly reduces risk for the balance of the program.”

The SoS PDR brought together the preliminary designs and architecture of the FCS brigade to assess them at an integrated level. In addition, the performance of the brigade design was compared with Army requirements.

“Our combined team -- Army, Boeing-SAIC and our industry partners -- has done an incredible job preparing for and completing this milestone,” said John Elbon, Boeing vice president and head of FCS Systems of Systems Integration. “It’s amazing to see the capabilities the networked brigade brings to the warfighter.”

The SoS PDR is one of a number of major milestones scheduled for the program this year, which include a Defense Acquisition Board review and the Limited User Test of early FCS “Spin Out” capabilities later this summer. The FCS team remains committed to executing the program to the Army’s plan and delivering these critical technologies to soldiers as soon as possible. This includes an acceleration and expansion of the FCS Spin Out effort to all Army Brigade Combat Teams over the next 15 years.

SAIC is scientific, engineering and technology applications company. Its approximately 45,000 employees serve customers in the U.S. Department of Defense, the intelligence community, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, other U.S. Government civil agencies and selected commercial markets. SAIC had annual revenues of $10.1 billion for its fiscal year that ended January 31, 2009.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32 billion business with 70,000 employees worldwide.

Boeing Co.
21.05.2009