Gateway flies high with Air Force PC deal

The U.S. Air Force has inked an $8 million contract to outfit its military bases with nearly 10,000 Gateway desktop PCs, the company said on Wednesday. The special-order Gateway E-4300 computers have Intel Pentium processors, at least 1GB of computer memory and 80GB serial ATA hard drives. The computers have been outfitted with keyboards with a smart card reader to help authenticate users, and the systems were preloaded with Air Force command software, Gateway said.

The agreement is part of the Air Force's quarterly purchasing program with IT developers. The program mandates that purchases of desktop and notebook computers must be processed through the Air Force's nine major commands and requires that officials consolidate hardware buys. In addition to its PC contract, Gateway said the Air Force awarded it with a five-year agreement to bid for its new line of customized PCs and servers.