Ammunition
ATK manufactures 85% of the small-caliber tactical and training ammunition used by United States forces. This work is done at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence, Missouri, where production totaled approximately 1.4 billion rounds in fiscal year 2007. Current projects include he development of technology to replace lead in training ammunition with more environmentally friendly materials and caseless ammunition. ATK also operates the U.S. Army ammunition plant in Radford, Virginia.
ATK’s medium-caliber ammunition products including training and tactical ammunition fired from ground and air combat platforms like the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, Light Armored Vehicle, Apache and Blackhawk helicopters, A-10 close-combat support aircraft, and AC-130 gunship aircraft. New products include air-bursting ammunition.
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| An ATK 30mm AirBurst round can be programmed to detonate at a point in space |
Guns
ATK develops and manufactures the Bushmaster family of chain guns for medium-caliber gun systems that provides armament for U.S. and allied combat vehicles, helicopters, and naval vessels. ATK’s gun systems are used on the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, Light Armored Vehicle, Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle, and Apache helicopter. The company has supplied more than 15,000 medium-caliber gun systems to the U.S. military and 20 allied nations. Gun systems include:
- Lightweight 25mm: a new, remotely-operated 25mm chain gun that features a dual feed system and features an ammunition suite that includes ATK’s Programmable AirBurst Munition. This 63 lb cannon can also be converted to a .50 caliber weapon.
- Mk44: a combat-proven remotely-operated 30mm chain gun with a dual feed system and ammunition that includes the Mk300 Programmable AirBurst-Traced. With a quick conversion, this weapon can also fire “Super 40” caliber ammunition.
- M230: a 30mm chain-gun mounted on the Apache helicopter and other aircraft that can deliver over 600 armor piercing or high explosive rounds a minute.
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| ATK makes the M230 Chain Gun mounted under each Apache Attack Helicopter, and much of the ammunition it fires |
Propellant
The company develops and manufactures solid extruded propellant for more than 25 types of military ammunition and rocket systems and is the only supplier of TNT to the U.S. Department of Defense. The company is also the only North American supplier of military-specification nitrocellulose used in all small, medium and large caliber propellant, and rocket motors.
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| ATK's Precision Guided Mortar Munition uses rocket thrusters to guide itself to target |
Precision Guided Munitions
ATK is developing low-cost, innovative advanced weapon systems that will provide precision and effectiveness for combat forces, artillery batteries, naval gun systems, tanks, and tactical aircraft. Major programs include:
- Precision Guided Mortar Munition (PGMM): A laser-guided 120mm mortar that will, for the first time, give commanders the capability to engage point targets at long range with vastly reduced collateral damage.
- Precision Guidance Kit (PGK): A low-cost module that transforms existing 155mm artillery shells into precision guided munitions.
- Mid-Range Munition (MRM): A precision-guided, fire-and-forget 120mm tank round designed for the Future Combat System’s Mounted Combat System platform and digitally-able Abrams tanks.
- Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM): An air-launched missile that can lock-on to the radar signal from an enemy’s air defenses and guide itself to target even if the radar station is subsequently shut-down.
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| ATK's new LW25mm Chain Gun can be remotely operated, has a dual feed system, can fire AirBurst rounds and weighs less than 65 lbs |
It also produces 120mm ammunition for main battle tanks and 105mm ammunition for mobile gun systems. ATK’s force protection weapon systems are designed to protect military forces from ground and air threats. Key programs include the Spider combat barrier systems; the Shielder anti-tank barrier system; the XM25 airburst weapon system; and the Pulsed-Energy Projectile non-lethal weapon.
As a subcontractor, ATK’s work in missile defense primarily includes production of the third-stage motor and divert and attitude control system for the Standard Missile-3, the interceptor component of the U.S. Navy Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System.
ATK produces rocket motors for tactical weapons fired by aircraft, ships, ground platforms, and combat troops. Major programs include propulsion for the only two U.S. air-to-air missiles in production, the Sidewinder and the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile; propulsion for the Army’s surface-to-surface, Non-Line of Sight—Precision Attack Missile; the Hellfire and Maverick air-to-surface missiles; and the Evolved Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missile. ATK also manufactures warheads for air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles. The company develops and produces precision fuzes to detonate military munitions, including conventional and precision-guided air-delivered bombs, artillery rounds, medium-caliber ammunition and mortar projectiles, and training hand grenades.
Contact Information:
Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK)
5050 Lincoln Drive
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55436-1097
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