HUNTSVILLE— The U.S. Air Force awarded Boeing a contract worth up to $1.6 billion over 16 years to provide guidance subsystem support for the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile, which is supported at the Boeing Huntsville site.

The 16-year contract is expected to be completed by Feb. 1, 2039.

Prime contracting work will primarily be performed in Ogden, Utah and Heath, Ohio, and is expected to support a significant amount of direct and indirect jobs in the area.

Boeing will maintain the around-the-clock readiness and accuracy of Minuteman ICBM guidance systems, which have logged more than 40 million hours of continuous operation, to ensure safe, secure, and effective strategic deterrence into the late 2030s.

“We built the Minuteman’s guidance system, so no one knows it like Boeing,” said Ted Kerzie, program director of Strategic Deterrence Systems. “Our highly-specialized facilities and top-flight engineers enable us to sustain it with unmatched quality and precision.

“We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Air Force on this all-important mission.”

The Boeing-built ICBM weapon system has served as the backbone of the U.S. nuclear triad since the inception of strategic deterrence. Boeing is the only company that has continuously supported every ICBM subsystem — guidance, ground, propulsion and re-entry — over the lifetime of the system.