Wikipedia / Boeing Defense, Space & Security
Wikipedia / Boeing Defense, Space & Security
Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS) is a division of the Boeing Company based in St. Louis, Missouri. The division builds military airplanes, rotorcraft, and missiles, as well as space systems for both commercial and military customers, including satellites, spacecraft, and rockets.
It was formerly known as Boeing Integrated Defense Systems (IDS), which was formed in 2002 by combining the former "Military Aircraft and Missile Systems" and "Space and Communications" divisions. The group that brought together major names in aerospace; Boeing Military Airplane Company; Hughes Satellite Systems; Hughes Helicopters (the civilian helicopter line was divested as MD Helicopters); Piasecki Helicopter (subsequently known as Boeing Vertol and Boeing Helicopters); the McDonnell division of McDonnell Douglas; and the former North American Aviation division of Rockwell International.
Boeing Defense, Space & Security made Boeing the third-largest defense contractor in the world in 2021 and helped make Boeing the second-largest U.S. federal government contractor in fiscal year 2019.
History
Boeing Defense, Space & Security was headquartered in Greater St. Louis north of St. Louis Lambert International Airport in the northern St. Louis suburb of Berkeley, Missouri, until January 2017, when top executives and support staff were relocated to Arlington, Virginia. There are also significant operations in nearby Missouri communities, such as Hazelwood and St. Charles. It remains one of the largest employers in Greater St. Louis with 13,707 local employees as of 2018.
Other major locations of BDS are in California and Washington state. Boeing chose to locate the defense systems offices in the St. Louis area because of the role of the space and aircraft programs of the former McDonnell Douglas location, and bipartisan support from area politicians.
In 2016, Boeing moved the division headquarters from St. Louis to Arlington, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C. area and located close to the Pentagon.
On October 26, 2020, Boeing was sanctioned by the Chinese government due to arms sales to Taiwan.
In October 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported that Boeing was exploring a sale of some of its space division programs including the Starliner spacecraft and operations that support the International Space Station.
Organization
Boeing BDS has four divisions focused on vertical lift; mobility, surveillance and bombers; air dominance; and space, intelligence and weapons systems.
Vertical Lift – The world's largest provider of military rotorcraft including cargo, tiltrotor, and attack.
Mobility, Surveillance & Bombers – Includes KC-46, SAOC, E-7, VC-25B, P-8, Bombers, AWACS/AEW&C.
Air Dominance – Includes classified programs; the F/A-18, F-15, T-7, MQ-25 and MQ-28 programs; and the non-space Phantom Works portfolio.
Space, Intelligence & Weapon Systems – Includes space exploration and launch programs, satellites, munitions, missiles, weapon system deterrents, maritime undersea, Phantom Works Space and subsidiaries (BI&A, Millennium, Insitu, Liquid Robotics, Spectrolab, Argon and DRT).
Products
Bomber aircraft
Boeing XB-15 (1 prototype)
Boeing TB – torpedo bomber
Rockwell B-1 Lancer — from acquisition of North American Aviation division of Rockwell International
Rotorcraft
Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight (Vertol Aircraft Corp.)
Boeing Vertol CH-47 Chinook (Vertol Aircraft Corp.)
MH-139 Grey Wolf (with Leonardo S.p.A.)
V-22 Osprey (with Bell Helicopter)
Quad TiltRotor (with Bell Helicopter)
RAH-66 Comanche (with Sikorsky), reconnaissance and light attack helicopter, canceled
Fighter and attack aircraft
Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor (partner with prime contractor Lockheed Martin)
Boeing X-32, Boeing's entry for the Joint Strike Fighter program
Experimental aircraft
Tankers and transport aircraft
Boeing OC-135B Open Skies – (3 Treaty on Open Skies observation aircraft)
Trainer aircraft
Boeing T-43 navigator trainer
Electronic warfare, surveillance and other military variants
Boeing 737 AEW&C (E-7 Wedgetail)
Boeing YAL-1 Airborne Laser
Boeing E-3 Sentry (an Airborne Early Warning and Control or AWACS surveillance aircraft)
Boeing E-4 (Advanced Airborne Command Post)
Boeing E-767 (AWACS)
Utility aircraft
Unmanned aerial vehicles
Boeing CQM-121 Pave Tiger – anti-radar drone
Boeing X-45//Phantom Ray – technology demonstrators
Boeing X-50 Dragonfly – experimental Gyrodyne UAV
Boeing A160 Hummingbird – development UAV helicopter
Boeing DARPA Vulture
Boeing Phantom Eye – a high altitude, long range UAV
Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat – previously known as Airpower Teaming System
Missiles
Ground-Based Midcourse Defense
Space launch and spacecraft
Boeing Launch Services Inc. (BLS) is Boeing's commercial launch service provider. On behalf of its commercial customers, BLS administers launch service contracts for Delta II and Delta IV launches conducted by United Launch Alliance. In November 2010, Boeing Defense, Space & Security was selected by NASA for consideration for potential contract awards for heavy lift launch vehicle system concepts, and propulsion technologies.
S-IC first stage
Inertial Upper Stage (Titan IV and Space Shuttle)
Space Shuttle orbiter (Rockwell)
Delta (rocket family) (aka Thor-Delta)
Delta II rocket
Delta III rocket
Delta IV rocket
Sea Launch (with Energia, Aker Kværner, and Yuzhnoe)
Starliner crewed space capsule
Spaceplanes
Boeing X-20 Dyna-Soar (canceled)
Satellites
333 bus (Hughes Satellite Systems)
376 bus (inherited from Hughes Satellite Systems)
601 bus (inherited from Hughes Satellite Systems)
702 bus
GPS Block I and II (Rockwell)
Space probes
Other
AN/TWQ-1 Avenger – lightweight air defense vehicle
Pegasus-class hydrofoil – patrol craft (6 built by Boeing Marine)
GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb – 250 lb glide bomb
Compact Laser weapon system
Tactical Laser weapon system
Facilities
On July 21, 2006, Boeing announced that it would consolidate its Southern California locations. The Boeing facility in Anaheim will be moving to Huntington Beach, California.
Huntsville, Alabama (Spacelab, International Space Station, Delta, Ground-based Midcourse Defense)
Mesa, Arizona (AH-64, AH-6i)
El Segundo, California (satellite complex: 601, 702)
Long Beach, California (C-17 until 2015)
Palmdale, California (Space Shuttle)
Seal Beach, California Saturn V rocket and Apollo Capsule (original contractor North American later Rockwell International)
Huntington Beach, California (Saturn V, X-51A, Apollo, Skylab, Space Shuttle, Delta, and ISS)
Kennedy Space Center, Florida (as part of United Space Alliance and United Launch Alliance)
Macon, Georgia (C-17, a-10, ch-47) Closing down December 2016
New Orleans, Louisiana (S-IC stage – Boeing was the prime contractor where the Michoud Assembly Facility was used for the final assembly)
St. Charles, Missouri (weapons)
Tulsa, Oklahoma (F-15/F-15E)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (H-47, V-22) H-46 production ended.
El Paso, Texas (B-1B, PAC-3, power and electronics components for ISS, F-22, and F-15, assembly and test for Minuteman III missile guidance system)
San Antonio, Texas (military aircraft maintenance)
Washington, D.C. area
See also
References
External links