Boeing Says Military Jet Program Is on Track

An $8-billion Boeing Co.-led program to develop an electronic warfare version of the F/A-18 jet is on track and under budget, and the craft should fly for the first time Sept. 1, 2006, Navy officials said.

Program manager Navy Capt. Steve Kochman said the EA-18G program was doing well, and he was confident it would survive a spate of defense budget cuts sweeping the Pentagon as the government struggled to pay for the Iraq war.