...entered a new phase by delivering the first two engineering development models to the U.S. Air Force. Able to perform nearly all FAB-T production terminal mission functions, the models will be tested through June under realistic operational conditions aboard aircraft and at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass.

“These models will allow the Air Force to test how actual terminals will perform in their deployed configurations,” said Paul Geery, Boeing vice president and FAB-T program manager. “With tests conducted in 2012, Boeing has demonstrated that FAB-T can perform effectively even in the extreme vibration and harsh temperatures found on airborne platforms.”

FAB-T will carry protected communications for the command and control of U.S. nuclear forces via Advanced Extremely High Frequency and Milstar satellites. The terminals will be used aboard B-2 and B-52 bombers, RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft, and E-4 and E-6 Special Air Mission aircraft, as well as in fixed and transportable configurations on the ground.

“These milestones validate that Boeing has a mature design that meets operating requirements for all mission environments,” Geery said. “Our solution offers the quickest and lowest-risk path to putting all the FAB-T functions into warfighters’ hands.”

Additionally, Boeing also announced that it will place its Brazilian research and technology center at the...

...hub of Brazil’s aerospace industry – in the city of São José dos Campos’ Technological Park. The new Boeing Research & Technology-Brazil Center will open later this year in remodeled existing space at the technological park with staffing of up to 12 Boeing researchers and scientists. They will investigate and develop aerospace technology projects with nearby Brazilian government technology institutions including the Department of Aerospace Science and Technology (DCTA) and National Institute for Space Research (INPE), as well as Brazilian companies such as Embraer.

The Boeing Research & Technology-Brazil Center also will serve as Boeing’s focal point for technology collaboration with universities throughout Brazil. The company previously announced joint research activities with the University of São Paulo and the Federal University of Minas Gerais. This is Boeing’s sixth advanced research center outside of the United States.