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• New Jan. 22, 2007

Boeing [NYSE: BA] will upgrade (remanufacture) 126 AH-64D Apaches for the US Army (96) and the army of the United Arab Emirates (30), under a $1.15 billion contract signed last week. The first helicopter in this Block II production will be delivered in October 2007.

The contract brings the total number of upgraded U.S. Army AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters to 597. The U.S. Army has ordered an additional 27 new-build Apaches as war-replacement aircraft. They are produced in addition to the 501 upgraded AH-64D Apache Longbows built between 1997 and 2006 under two five-year, multi-year contracts. The Apache Longbow helicopters feature fully integrated avionics and weapons that can rapidly detect, classify, prioritize and engage stationary and moving targets at standoff ranges in nearly all weather environments. The helicopters are also networked to exchange real-time, secure digitized battlefield information with air and ground forces.