NASA has awarded Boeing a competitively bid contract to modify the communication, navigation and electrical systems of an S-3B Viking aircraft. NASA obtained the S-3B from the U.S. Navy to facilitate research requirements for the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
The contract marks the first time an S-3B has been made available for non-military applications since the Navy announced its decision to retire the Viking fleet.
The award follows the successful S-3B Viking modification program between the Navy and Boeing from 2000 through 2005, when Boeing installed more than 500 modifications into the Navy's S-3B anti-submarine warfare, all-weather aircraft fleet.
The NASA upgrade includes the installation of baker audio panels and navigation equipment such as weather radar, a commercial marker beacon and a new transponder. Boeing will modify the aircraft at its Cecil Field facilities in Jacksonville, Fla., under the direction of NASA Glenn.
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