Boeing has been awarded a $30 million U.S. Air Force contract to upgrade the B-52 fleet's Integrated Weapons Interface Units (IWIU), providing flight crews with enhanced smart weapon visibility and control.

Boeing will replace the current, three-piece interface units with a single, state-of-the-art IWIU. Boeing will assemble and test the units at its St. Charles, Mo., weapons facility, before shipping them to Wichita, Kans., where the company will prepare the modification kits for final delivery and provide engineering support during customer installation.

Boeing will deliver the first kit in October 2008. The Air Force will perform the modifications using contract field teams at the main B-52 operating bases in Barksdale, La., and Minot, N.D. The modifications are expected to be completed by late 2011.