ATK/Thiokol Joint Venture Awarded Contracts Totaling $80 Million for Trident Missile Propulsion Systems
Mar 29, 2001
ATK (NYSE: ATK)(Alliant Techsystems) said the ATK/Thiokol Propulsion Consolidated Joint Venture has been awarded two contracts with a combined value of $80 million from Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company -- Missiles & Space Operations, Sunnyvale, Calif., to produce solid propulsion systems for all three stages of the U.S. Navy's Trident II (D-5) Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM).
Under a $63 million contract, the two companies will continue production of Trident propulsion systems through September 2004. A second contract worth $17 million calls for the re-qualification of production materials used in the propulsion systems.
The only U.S. submarine-launched strategic missile system in production today, the Trident II FBM was first deployed in 1990 and is planned for deployment past 2020. It is launched from U.S. Navy Ohio-class (Trident) submarines and has a range of more than 4,000 nautical miles.
Under the joint venture agreement, ATK Aerospace Propulsion Company, Magna, Utah, is responsible for Trident II propellant casting and motor finishing, while Thiokol Propulsion, an Alcoa business, Brigham City, Utah, manufactures the missile's nozzles, igniters, and first-stage and second-stage insulators.
Jeff Foote, president, ATK Aerospace Propulsion Company, said the ATK/Thiokol team is pleased to continue to serve as the nation's industrial base for strategic propulsion systems.
"The Trident II FBM is an integral part of America's strategic deterrent," said Foote. "These awards will continue missile production and also provide for design updates to some materials used in the missile that have become obsolete. This is an important step for the Trident II strategic system, which will be relied on for many years to come."
The ATK/Thiokol Propulsion Consolidated Joint Venture was selected in 1995 to produce propulsion systems for all three Trident II stages under a manufacturing consolidation program aimed at reducing costs. Prior to that, the joint venture had produced propulsion systems for the first and second stages while another contractor manufactured the third-stage propulsion system. The consolidation program's development and qualification phase was completed in early 1997, with the first production systems delivered later that year.
ATK and Thiokol Propulsion have been involved in joint-venture production of solid propulsion systems for submarine-launched ballistic missiles for 36 years, beginning with the Poseidon missile.
On Jan. 31, 2001, ATK announced that it had reached a definitive agreement with Alcoa Inc. under which ATK will acquire Thiokol Propulsion for $685 million in cash. The transaction, which is subject to customary regulatory approvals, is expected to close during the second quarter of 2001. Headquartered in Magna, Utah, ATK Aerospace Propulsion Company is part of ATK's Aerospace segment, which comprises the corporation's propulsion and composite structures operations. Aerospace sales in fiscal year 2000 were $530 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 6,000 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/
Alcoa is the world's leading producer of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum and alumina. It serves the aerospace, automotive, construction, packaging and other markets. Thiokol Propulsion, an Alcoa business, is the leading manufacturer of solid propulsion systems for space and defense. Information about Thiokol Propulsion can found on the Internet at http://www.thiokol.com/
SOURCE: ATK
Contact: Media, Rod Bitz, 952-931-5413, rod_bitz@atk.com or Investors,
Steve Wold, 952-931-6747, steve_wold@atk.com, both of ATK
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
