The FINANCIAL -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] C-130 Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) received Aviation Week magazine's Program Excellence Award in the category of System Level Research & Development/System Development & Demonstration at the Aviation Week Aerospace & Defense Programs conference in Phoenix on Nov. 3.

The award recognizes excellence in leading system-of-system and sub-system programs with unique, innovative solutions to challenges.

The Aviation Week Program Excellence evaluators considered more than 60 different programs across the commercial, defense, and space sectors before selecting this year's five winners.

"Our program achievements over the past several years are a reflection of our U.S. Air Force customer's leadership and the hard work by both our organizations," said C-130 AMP Program Manager Mark Angelo, who accepted the award for Boeing.

The awards program is designed not just to honor program leaders and teams, but also to identify and share best practices that are being developed in response to increasingly complex challenges. The C-130 AMP team and the other award winners presented their best practices at the conference.

"One of our innovations is a Boeing-developed, Web-based tool that allows management to access and sort complex proposal data quickly and easily," said Angelo. "The tool also allows our customer real-time access to the data to make comments, in order to improve review cycle time and encourage immediate and open communication."

During the presentation, Aviation Week Editor-in-Chief Anthony L. Velocci Jr. said C-130 AMP was chosen "as a successful response to integrating new 21st century technology in a 40-year-old aircraft, replacing the obsolete and high-maintenance equipment with new heads-up displays, CNS/ATM technology, compatibility with night vision equipment and overall reduction in operating and fleet costs. The program team completed the upgrade with $16 million less than had been originally planned. This team, led by Mark Angelo, was able to link quantitative savings directly to the use of lessons learned on other programs -- clear evidence of how programs can be successful."

C-130 AMP was designed to bring commonality to the multiple C-130 configurations in the Air Force fleet. It offers flexibility in assigning aircrew, regardless of the model design type, and reduces aircraft operating costs while addressing obsolescence and providing for future capability growth.

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