Boeing Co. received a $299.8 million contract from the U.S. Air Force for production of the fourth Wideband Gapfiller Satellite (WGS), Boeing announced Nov. 9. The award is the first option exercised under the $1.1 billion WGS Block 2 contract finalized in October.

The spacecraft, dubbed WGS-4, will be similar to the three Block 1 satellites Boeing is manufacturing but will add a radio frequency bypass capability designed to support airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms requiring additional bandwidth.

The first WGS Block 1 satellite is scheduled to be launched in mid-2007, while WGS-4 is slated to be lofted into orbit in early 2011.