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ATK Awarded $14 Million Contract To Produce Composite Wing Skins for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter

Sep 16, 2002

Minneapolis, Sept. 16, 2002 – ATK (Alliant Techsystems, NYSE: ATK) has been selected by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, Fort Worth, Texas, to produce single-segment, all-composite upper wing skins for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), the next-generation stealth aircraft for the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, the British Royal Air Force and Royal Navy, and numerous allies worldwide.

Under an initial $14 million system development and demonstration contract, ATK Composites, Clearfield, Utah, will supply parts for 22 ship sets through October 2006. Follow-on potential during the low-rate initial production phase includes an additional 674 ship sets through 2015.

ATK Composites will be responsible for tooling design and manufacture of the upper wing skins for all three variants of the new fighter aircraft – the Conventional Take Off/Landing (CTOL), the Short Take Off/Vertical Landing (STOVL), and Carrier Vehicle (CV). Fiber placement was selected as the key manufacturing process for its accuracy, efficiency, and repeatability.

ATK Composites previously supported Lockheed Martin on two JSF demonstration programs. For the Concept Demonstration Aircraft, ATK supplied two ship sets of fiber-placed inlet ducts, which performed successfully during flight tests on the JSF X-35A, X-35B, and X-35C demonstrator aircraft. ATK also supplied representative sections of the upper wing skins to simulate the STOVL and CV variants under the Airframe Affordability Demonstration program.

"The ATK Composites team is proud to continue its participation on the Joint Strike Fighter, one of the most important transformational weapon systems of our time," said Travis Campbell, president, ATK Composites. "We bring to the JSF program a 40-year heritage in the design and production of composite structures for aerospace and defense applications – as well as a strong commitment to the cornerstones of the program: affordability and performance."

Other ATK Composites military aircraft products include composite pivot shafts and horizontal stabilator skins and components for the F-22 fighter and counterbalance assemblies for the C-17 transport. The company also produces structures for commercial aircraft, space launch vehicles, satellites, spacecraft, and weapons systems. Manufacturing facilities are located in Clearfield, Utah, Magna, Utah, Iuka, Miss., Rocket Center, W. Va, and Huntsville, Ala.

ATK is a $2.1 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 11,300 people and has three business groups: Aerospace, Precision Systems, and Ammunition. ATK news and information can be found on the Internet at www.atk.com.