A new contract with Boeing Co. shows that a Calabasas company specializing in aerospace and defense testing has hit the target with its new growth strategy.

National Technical Systems Inc. announced last week that it inked a deal with the Chicago-based airplane maker to provide the testing equipment for the 777 aircraft. Boeing will do the tests with NTS equipment. That marks a shift in the company’s business model; previously, NTS performed all testing.

“It’s a multibillion-dollar market that we feel we can grow into,” said NTS Chief Executive William McGinnis. “We think this could be the biggest growth area for the company to date.”

Under the six-month contract, NTS will provide equipment to Boeing for tests on the 777’s engines and electronic systems. The tests will show how the airplane components perform in harsh weather and other severe conditions. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

A Boeing representative did not return a call for comment.

NTS has been testing aviation and defense equipment and other technical material since its founding in 1961. But earlier this year, McGinnis decided to offer the company’s equipment to manufacturers.

The testing equipment, which NTS designs and builds to simulate severe conditions such as earthquakes or hurricanes, also provides results and analysis. NTS will also provide support to Boeing while Boeing plans and implements the tests.

NTS, which has more than 800 employees spread across its 28 national and international test laboratories, claims a 20 percent market share of the $500 million testing industry. The company’s 2009 net income was $3.3 million, up from $2.98 million in 2008. Revenue in 2009 was $122 million, up from $119 million the prior year. Shares closed July 8 at $7.17, up from this year’s low of $5.25 in April.

The contract with Boeing marks the first large deal for NTS since launching its new strategy.

“It certainly gets us branded in this business,” McGinnis said.

Most of NTS’ customers are in the aerospace or defense industries, but the company also tests equipment in telecommunications and transportation. Customers include Palo Alto-based Hewlett-Packard and Cleveland-based aerospace manufacturer Eaton Corp.

By expanding into the sale of testing equipment, McGinnis hopes to generate additional business from its major aerospace customers.

“We’re already well branded and have credibility on the test side,” he said. “So we’ll build off that to provide a new service to the client.”