Head of Boeing Unit to Retire
Roger F. Roberts, head of Boeing Co.’s beleaguered Space and Intelligence Systems business in Seal Beach, said Friday that he planned to retire Dec. 31.
His departure comes amid increasing scrutiny from Congress over Boeing’s multibillion-dollar Pentagon program to develop a new generation of spy satellites. A replacement for Roberts has not been named.
A Boeing spokeswoman said Roberts, 58, was retiring to pursue personal interests after more than 30 years at the company. His retirement is not part of any management shake-up, she said.
The super-secret program, which Roberts has overseen since Boeing won the contract in 1998, has undergone a major overhaul in recent years to resolve technical troubles.
The project, known as Future Imagery Architecture, calls for creating a constellation of satellites equipped with powerful telescopes and radar to gather more detailed and frequent images of ground-based objects.
In late 2003 the highly classified national security project was overhauled after a Pentagon panel found it was “significantly underfunded and technically flawed.” The Pentagon then pumped an additional $4 billion into the project.
Pentagon officials have kept much of the spy satellite project secret, including the overall cost and how many people are involved. However, several aerospace analysts believe the program will eventually cost at least $25 billion, and that more than 5,000 engineers, including many in Seal Beach and El Segundo, are working on the program.
Last week, a House Intelligence subcommittee held a closed-door classified review of the program.
The review came just weeks after the committee recommended that funding for several intelligence satellite programs be slashed and that the money be redirected to human intelligence and analysis programs.
It was unclear whether Boeing’s satellite project was one of the programs recommended for cuts since the intelligence appropriations bill is also classified.
Boeing shares closed Friday at $66.19, down 8 cents.
