Boeing was awarded a contract not to exceed $42 million for the initial phase of upgrading the radar on Saudi Arabia’s fleet of five E-3A Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft. According to Boeing, the first phase will dtermine which parts are obsolete and no longer available, then locating and testing parts obtained from new sources. This phase also includes the purchase of long lead parts and the start of software design. The next phase involves production and installation of the Radar System Improvement Program (RSIP) kits, software integration and testing, and crew training. Phase two is scheduled during the time frame of a follow-on contract expected to be awarded in 2009, Boeing said. The RSIP kit, built principally by Baltimore-based Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems under subcontract to Boeing, consists of a radar computer, a radar-control maintenance panel, and software upgrades to the radar and mission-system programs.