Manufacturer catalog

Boeing North American

Boeing North American was the Boeing subsidiary formed around the aerospace and defense businesses Boeing acquired from Rockwell International in 1996. The name appears in U.S. Air Force and defense-industry sources for legacy Rockwell/North American missile, guidance, propulsion, space, and aircraft work, including the legacy GBU-15 guided-bomb family.

2 weapons

Boeing created Boeing North American after acquiring Rockwell International's aerospace and defense business, a transaction the Federal Trade Commission described in December 1996 as a $3.025 billion purchase involving two of the largest U.S. defense and space contractors. Boeing's historical chronology says the acquired Rockwell units were renamed Boeing North American and operated as a subsidiary.

The subsidiary carried forward several Rockwell and North American Aviation industrial lines. A 1997 Boeing release described Boeing North American as active in space systems, power and propulsion, satellites, missile defense, aircraft and aerostructures, aircraft modification, guidance and navigation, command-and-control, ship systems, tactical missiles, and radar and electro-optical sensors, with headquarters in Seal Beach, California.

Its precision-weapon work is most clearly documented in the GBU-15/AGM-130 family. The U.S. Air Force identifies Boeing North American as contractor for the legacy GBU-15, while Forecast International records Boeing North American, Incorporated receiving a 1997 AGM-130 production contract after Boeing acquired Rockwell's defense interests.

Tactical missiles and precision-guided munitionsGuidance, navigation, radar, and electro-optical sensorsSpace systems, propulsion, and missile defenseAircraft structures, modification, and legacy Rockwell/North American programs

Notable Systems

GBU-15 Guided Bomb Unit, Air-to-surface guided glide bomb, Munitions

GBU-15 Guided Bomb Unit

Air-to-surface guided glide bomb

The Air Force identifies Boeing North American as the contractor for the legacy GBU-15, separating it from Raytheon Systems' enhanced version.

Sources: GBU-15 Guided Bomb Unit Fact Sheet
AGM-130, Powered air-to-surface standoff missile, Munitions

AGM-130

Powered air-to-surface standoff missile

Forecast International describes the AGM-130 as the powered GBU-15 derivative and records a 1997 Boeing North American production contract for 72 AGM-130s built from government-furnished components.

Sources: Forecast International AGM-130

Manufacturer History

  1. FTC describes Boeing-Rockwell defense acquisition

    The Federal Trade Commission release on the Rockwell transaction described Boeing's proposed purchase of Rockwell International's Aerospace and Defense business and the competition concerns tied to space launch vehicles and unmanned-aircraft work.

    Sources: FTC Rockwell acquisition release

  2. Rockwell units renamed Boeing North American

    Boeing's historical chronology says Boeing acquired Rockwell's aerospace and defense units, renamed them Boeing North American, and operated them as a subsidiary.

    Sources: Boeing historical chronology

  3. Boeing describes the subsidiary's scope

    A Boeing release on a Navy missile technology-demonstration award described Boeing North American as a wholly owned subsidiary headquartered in Seal Beach and active across missiles, sensors, aircraft, space, propulsion, missile defense, and command-and-control markets.

    Sources: Boeing Fasthawk release

  4. AGM-130 production contract

    Forecast International records Boeing North American, Incorporated of Duluth, Georgia, receiving a $31.3 million firm-fixed-price contract to provide 72 AGM-130 weapons built from government-furnished components.

    Sources: Forecast International AGM-130

Predecessors
Rockwell International aerospace and defense unitsNorth American Aviation heritage operations
Successors
Boeing Defense, Space & Security
Website links
Boeing historyBoeing historical chronologyFTC Rockwell acquisition releaseU.S. Air Force GBU-15 fact sheet

Boeing North American was a post-acquisition Boeing subsidiary label for Rockwell aerospace and defense operations, not a separate legacy manufacturer equivalent to North American Rockwell or Rockwell International. Those predecessor names remain separate manufacturer profiles when catalog records cite them directly.

Manufacturer Sources

  • Boeing historical chronologyPublisher: Boeing | Note: Supports Boeing's acquisition of Rockwell aerospace and defense units and the renaming of those units as Boeing North American. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • FTC Rockwell acquisition releasePublisher: Federal Trade Commission | Note: Supports the 1996 Boeing purchase context, the $3.025 billion Rockwell Aerospace and Defense transaction, and the defense/space competition issues reviewed by U.S. regulators. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Boeing Fasthawk releasePublisher: Boeing | Note: Supports Boeing North American's status as a wholly owned Boeing subsidiary, its Seal Beach headquarters, and its market areas including tactical missiles, guidance, navigation, sensors, space systems, propulsion, and aircraft work. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • GBU-15 Guided Bomb Unit Fact SheetPublisher: U.S. Air Force | Note: Supports the legacy GBU-15 contractor attribution to Boeing North American and the GBU-15/AGM-130 family relationship. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • AGM-130 Missile Fact SheetPublisher: U.S. Air Force | Note: Supports AGM-130 mission, features, specifications, Boeing contractor attribution, and official U.S. Air Force image provenance. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Forecast International AGM-130Publisher: Forecast International | Note: Supports Rockwell/Boeing AGM-130 production context, Boeing's purchase of Rockwell defense interests, the 1997 Boeing North American AGM-130 contract, production status, variants, and technical data. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Boeing AGM-130 Designation-SystemsPublisher: Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles | Note: Corroborates the AGM-130 as a Boeing/Rockwell powered derivative of the GBU-15, its 1984 development award, IOC timing, guidance options, variants, and retirement context. | Accessed: 2026-07-11

Produced weapons

Category

Munitions

Standalone missiles, bombs, rockets, torpedoes, and guided or unguided explosive payloads.

2/2
GBU-15 Guided Bomb Unit, Air-to-surface guided glide bomb, Munitions1990 Gulf War, 1992 Bosnian War +1 moreGBU-15 Guided Bomb UnitAir-to-surface guided glide bombBuilt in: United StatesThe GBU-15 Guided Bomb Unit is a U.S. electro-optical glide bomb built around a 2,000-pound Mk 84 or BLU-109 bomb body, with television or imaging-infrared guidance and a man-in-the-loop data link. U.S. Air Force, museum, and Air University sources document F-111F use in Desert Storm, F-15E drops during Operation Deliberate Force, enhanced GPS/INS-equipped GBU-15 combat employment in Operation Enduring Freedom, and current deployment only from the F-15E Strike Eagle.
AGM-130, Powered air-to-surface standoff missile, Munitions1991 Iraqi No-Fly-Zone Conflict, 1999 Kosovo War / Operation Allied Force +1 moreAGM-130Powered air-to-surface standoff missileBuilt in: United StatesThe AGM-130 was a U.S. powered air-to-surface standoff missile derived from the GBU-15 guided-bomb family and carried by the F-15E Strike Eagle. Air Force, DoD, and conflict-reporting sources document its television or imaging-infrared terminal guidance, two-way data link, GPS/INS midcourse upgrade, Mk 84 or BLU-109-class warheads, and combat use in Iraqi no-fly-zone enforcement, Operation Allied Force, and the 2003 Iraq War.