Hughes, Digital Unite for Air Force Bid

Hughes Aircraft Co. said Friday that it is teaming up with Digital Equipment Corp. to pursue the U.S. Air Force Workstation program with an expected contract value of almost $900 million.

Hughes has proposed that its Data Systems unit in Irvine be the lead company and provide systems integration and support for the program. Digital’s operations in Greenbelt, Md., would provide the workstations based on the company’s 64-bit Alpha processor technology.

A decision from the Air Force is expected this summer, said Hughes spokesman Dan Reeder. He declined to comment about the Fullerton company’s chances of landing the contract or what such a large award would mean for Hughes Aircraft, which is continuing to reduce its operations in Fullerton and laying off as many as 1,000 workers.