ATK Part of Airliner Protection Team Selected for Shoulder-Fired Missile Defense by Department of Homeland Security

Missile Warning System and Expendable Decoys Designed to Protect Commercial Aircraft

Jan 6, 2004

Minneapolis, Jan. 6, 2004 – ATK (Alliant Techsystems, NYSE: ATK) is on a United Airlines-led team selected by the Counter-MANPADS (Man Portable Air Defense Systems) Special Projects Office within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to move forward with Phase 1 preliminary design research for its Commercial Airliner Protection System (CAPS). ATK’s AN/AAR-47 missile warning system and expendable decoys are integral parts of the system research and design approach to defend against shoulder-fired missile attacks on the U.S. airline fleet.

The three teams selected by DHS will conduct research over the next six months. At the conclusion of Phase 1, DHS plans to award one or two contracts, of no more than $45 million each, for system demonstrations.

ATK’s missile warning system is already operational on more than 1,100 U.S. and allied military aircraft. It is deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, and elsewhere.

Tom Wilson, group vice president, Precision Systems, said the CAPS developed by this team has the most battle-proven hardware and is capable of defeating simultaneous attacks against an aircraft. In addition to its robust capability, ATK believes this system is the most cost-effective solution to MANPADS threats.

"Installation, maintenance and operational costs are critical to the health of the airline industry and are second only to system effectiveness," said Wilson. "ATK and our team mates give airlines and their passengers protection against existing and emerging threats, and we are capable of equipping airplanes today with proven technology."

The team also includes AVISYS, Thales Airborne Systems, Symetrics Industries, Inc., L-3 Communications Integrated Systems, Alloy Surfaces Company, ARINC, the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and Armtec Defense Products.

ATK is a $2.2 billion aerospace and defense company with strong positions in propulsion, composite structures, munitions, precision capabilities, and civil and sporting ammunition. The company, which is headquartered in Edina, Minn., employs approximately 12,500 people and has three business groups: Precision Systems, Aerospace, and Ammunition and Related Products. ATK news and information can be found on the Internet at www.atk.com.

Certain information discussed in this press release constitutes forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Although ATK believes there is a reasonable basis for such statements, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved. Forward-looking information is subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Among those factors are: intense competition among the teams selected to demonstrate their systems, changes in governmental spending and budgetary policies, economic conditions, equity market returns, the company's competitive environment, the timing of awards and contracts, the outcome of contingencies, including litigation and environmental remediation, program performance, and sales projections. ATK undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. For further information on factors that could impact ATK, and statements contained herein, reference should be made to ATK’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and annual reports on Form 10-K.