ATK Flies Navy Gun-Launched Projectile 51 Nautical Miles; Successful Test Firings Boost Significantly ATK's Precision Capabilities
Jan 10, 2002
An industry team led by ATK (Alliant Techsystems) (NYSE: ATK) this week achieved a significant milestone in the development of a transformational stand-off combat capability -- long-range precision-guided projectiles in support of maneuver capability and specifically the U.S. Marine Corps.
During tests conducted Jan. 8-9, two Autonomous Naval Support Rounds (ANSR) were fired over the Atlantic Ocean from the Wallops Island flight facility in southeastern Virginia. The first, fired with standard Navy-cooled (NACO) propellant from the current naval gun (5"/54-caliber) flew 51 nautical miles. The second, fired with high-performance EX-99 propellant designed for the Navy's new 5"/62-caliber gun, flew 38 nautical miles.
The tests are part of a program to develop a ballistic trajectory, GPS-guided solution to U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Army requirements for affordable, long-range volume fires in support of maneuver forces.
ANSR differs from other approaches in its simplicity and relatively low cost, as well as its application to various gun types and calibers. Unit cost in full-rate production is estimated to be less than $20,000. ANSR's application to the existing Navy inventory of 5"/54-caliber guns enables rapid introduction throughout the fleet.
Other applications include the U.S. Navy's Advanced Gun System (AGS) and U.S. Army's Excalibur and Multi-Role Armament and Ammunition Systems (MRAAS) programs.
"We are very pleased with our results," said Dan Murphy, president, ATK Tactical Systems Company, which is the lead contractor on the ANSR industry team. "Both shots set new world range records for the respective guns. Fifty-one nautical miles is close to the maximum range we expect ANSR to fly from a 5"/54-caliber gun. Though 38 nautical miles is only a bit over half the range we expect to ultimately attain with the 5"/62-caliber gun, we gained previously unavailable data governing Navy projectile performance at velocities in excess of 3,400 feet per second.
"Looking forward, we will conduct a warhead arena test in April. We plan to conduct additional ballistic flight tests and a limited guided flight test by the end of July. We are on track to achieve a maximum-range guided flight by the end of this year."
Other members of the ATK Tactical Systems Company team developing the ANSR are Custom Analytical Engineering Systems (CAES), Cumberland, Md., which is responsible for airframe, warhead, and control actuation, and Draper Laboratory, Cambridge, Mass., which is responsible for guidance electronics and navigation. As the lead contractor, ATK Tactical Systems Company is responsible for system integration and the solid propellant rocket motor.
ATK is a $2 billion aerospace and defense company with leading positions in propulsion, composite structures, munitions, and precision capabilities. The company, which is headquartered in Edina, Minn., employs approximately 11,000 people and has two business groups: Aerospace and Defense. ATK news and information can be found on the Internet at http://www.atk.com/
SOURCE: Alliant Techsystems
Contact: Media, Rod Bitz, +1-952-351-3063, rod_bitz@atk.com, or
Investors, Steve Wold, +1-952-351-3056, steve_wold@atk.com, both of Alliant Techsystems
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