Boeing, Lockheed Vie for Defense Contract

Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin will compete for a contract to integrate the nation’s missile defense systems. Each company will get $8 million to develop a “concept definition” study, to be submitted in January, the Pentagon announced. The studies will lay out a way to combine various missile defense systems currently under development, including radar-warning systems and an interceptor missile to destroy incoming warheads. Boeing’s effort will be led by its Systems Development Center in Seal Beach, with assistance from its Space Systems Division in Downey. McDonnell Douglas in Huntington Beach will work on the deployment and maintenance portion of the proposal, and Van Nuys-based XonTech will evaluate radar systems. Boeing spokesman George Torres said work on the proposal will provide 200 jobs in Southern California. The final contract, which will be awarded next spring, could be worth $2.3 billion over six years.