ATK Receives Contract in Excess of $5 Million for AIM-9M Sidewinder Rocket
MotorsTotal Value Could Reach Approximately $30 Million If All Options Exercised ATK to Supply Rocket Motors for Foreign Military Sales Alliant Techsystems has received a production contract in excess of $5 million to manufacture Mk 36 solid propellant Rocket motors for the AIM-9M Sidewinder air-to-air missile system. The contract was awarded to ATK by the Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland. Under terms of the contract, ATK will also supply Rocket motors for Foreign Military Sales (FMS). If all options are exercised, the total value could reach approximately $30 million. Production of the Mk 36 Sidewinder motors began in May 2007 with deliveries scheduled to begin in August 2008. ATK will cast the solid-propellant Rocket motors and manufacture the Sidewinder metal cases at its manufacturing center of excellence in Rocket Center, West Virginia. ATK has produced more than 1,800 Mk 36 Rocket motors in West Virginia since 1995. In total, the company has produced more than 6,600 units. For more than 40 years, the AIM-9 Sidewinder family has been the primary short-range air-to-air missile deployed by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force. It has a proven track record of success in air-to-air combat. The current AIM-9M variant provides significant performance improvements over its predecessor, the AIM-9L, including the reduced smoke Mk 36 Rocket motor. ATK is the leading provider of propulsion systems for U.S. manufactured air-to-air missiles. In addition to the AIM-9M Sidewinder, ATK provides Rocket motors for other missiles such as the AIM-9X Sidewinder, AIM-120C and AIM-120D Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile, and the AIM-7 Sparrow. |
