Alliant Precision Fuze Company Marks Production Start-Up of DSU-33B/B Proximity Sensor for Air-Delivered Ordnance
May 31, 2000
Representatives from Wisconsin's Congressional delegation, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy, and the government of Australia gathered today at the headquarters of Alliant Precision Fuze Company in Janesville, Wis. to mark the delivery of the first production units of DSU-33B/B proximity sensors for inventory.
The DSU-33B/B is an all-weather, battery-operated, radio-frequency radar proximity sensor used in the Joint Direct Attack Munition and other air-delivered ordnance to initiate detonation approximately 20 feet above the ground, increasing the weapon's effectiveness. The B/B model is an improvement over a previous sensor, allowing U.S. and allied tactical fighter aircraft to deliver ordnance from higher altitudes.
Alliant Precision Fuze Company, an operating company of ATK (Alliant Techsystems) (NYSE: ATK), was awarded a $9.5 million production contract from the U.S. Air Force Precision Strike System Program Office, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., in 1998 to manufacture DSU-33B/B units for qualification and delivery to the U.S. Navy and the government of Australia. The company has since been awarded an additional $4.6 million contract for the production and delivery of inventory units to the U.S. Air Force. If all production options are exercised, the total program value will be approximately $30 million by 2004.
In remarks to employees and guests attending the ceremony, Don Sticinski, Group Vice President, Defense Systems, said ATK brings more than 40 years of system support capability in air-delivered ordnance to the DSU-33 sensor program.
"The design, development, and production of military sensors and fuzes is an important ATK core competency," said Sticinski. "We understand their relationship to ordnance and why their reliability and repeatability are important to both aircraft crews and fighting troops on the ground."
U.S. Rep. Paul D. Ryan (R-Wisconsin, 1st District), said, "I am so pleased ATK has secured this project, so we can keep supporting these good-paying jobs in Janesville. The U.S. military has come to expect this kind of high-quality innovation and production from Alliant. This technology promises to help save American pilots' lives and improve our nation's war-fighting capabilities."
James F. Robbins, director, Precision Strike System Program Office, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., said, "The U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy, as well as our most important allies, have needed a first-class supplier of proximity fuze sensors for our most important weapons. Alliant has stepped up to this significant challenge and has excelled in establishing the worldwide benchmark for manufacturing fuzes within their new facility and dedicated team in Janesville, Wisconsin. I am very proud of Alliant's achievement in providing the first DSU-33 B/B sensors today for the U.S. and its allies."
John H. Durda, Fuze Program Manager, Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD), Point Mugu, Calif., said, "The delivery of DSU-33B/B proximity sensors to our Naval and Marine Corps war fighting forces will enhance their mission capabilities and performance reliability. These first deliveries of DSU-33B/B proximity sensors mark a real milestone in the Navy's departure from the previous proximity sensor that was designed with 1960's technology. Working hand in hand with Alliant Precision Fuze Company, our team of technical experts from Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Maryland, China Lake, California, and Point Magu, California, truly demonstrated the willingness between industry and government to make things happen and make them happen right."
Alliant Precision Fuze Company produces electro-mechanical and electronic fuzes and proximity sensors for use in artillery, mortar, rocket, cannon, air-delivered, and special operations systems. The company employs approximately 350 people, and is certified to ISO 9000 quality standards by the British Standards Institute. It is part of ATK's Defense Systems segment, which reported fiscal year 2000 revenues of $221 million.
ATK is a $1.1 billion aerospace and defense company with leading market positions in munitions, precision capabilities, propulsion, and composite structures. The company, which is headquartered in Hopkins, Minn., employs approximately 6,400 people and has three business segments: Conventional Munitions, Aerospace, and Defense Systems. ATK news and information can be found on the Internet at http://www.atk.com/
SOURCE: Alliant Techsystems
Contact: Media, Rod Bitz, 612-931-5413, rod_bitz@atk.com, or Investors,
Melanie E. R. Miller, 612-931-6921, melanie_miller@atk.com, both of Alliant Techsystems
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