FILE PHOTO: The Boeing logo is pictured at the Latin American Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition fair (LABACE) at Congonhas Airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil August 14, 2018. REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Boeing Co was awarded a $4 billion contract for advance purchase of materials to produce 78 F/A 18 aircraft for the U.S. Navy, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. Work is expected to be completed in April 2024, it said.