Boeing, the world's largest aircraft maker, has said it will merge its defence, government, intelligence, communications and space operations into a single entity that will employ nearly 80,000 people.

The firm said the consolidation is being undertaken to better serve Boeing customers, who increasingly are looking to systems that span the company's businesses.

"The platforms our government customers are buying today will be more and more integrated in the future," said the firm's chairman and chief executive Phil Condit during a conference call with reporters.

The new unit, to be called Integrated Defence Systems (IDS) and headquartered in St Louis, about 300 miles south of the firm's headquarters in Chicago, will bring together all of Boeing's defence-related businesses.

The new unit, with combined profits of $23bn (�14.9bn), will be headed by James Albaugh, who has run the firm's space and communications unit, headquartered in Seal Beach, California.

The creation of IDS combines operations formerly under military aircraft and missile systems, headquartered in St. Louis, along with the Seal Beach operations.

Analysts say, however, the announcement has more to do with management realignment than any strategic reshuffling of the company's business units.

IDS will employ 78,600 people worldwide.