ATK wins US domestic ammunition contracts
ATK will supply medium- and large-calibre ammunition to the US military under a number of contracts worth a combined $112 million, announced on 4 June. The contract covers ammunition to arm the A-10, Apache, and AC-130 gunship aircraft, as well as gunnery training ammunition on the Apache and Abrams main battle tank.
The contracts will see the company produce and supply ammunition including the 30mm PGU-13 High Explosive Incendiary cartridge, LW30mm M788 Target Practice, M789 High Explosive Dual Purpose tactical ammunition, 40mm L/60 High Explosive Incendiary cartridge, and 120mm M1002 Multi-Purpose Anti-Tank, Target Practice with Tracer cartridge.
Dan Olson, vice president and general manager of ATK's Armament Systems division, said: ‘Developing and producing ammunition that provides superior performance and reliability is the cornerstone of our business. Our expertise spans millions of rounds produced of highly-effective tactical ammunition for air, ground and sea platforms as well as cost-effective training ammunition that provide a realistic experience for the warfighter.’
The 30mm PGU-13 High Explosive Incendiary cartridge is used to defeat light material targets and supports tactical use of the US Air Force A-10 GAU-8/A Gatling gun.
The LW30mm M788 Target Practice and M789 High Explosive Dual Purpose tactical ammunition are fired from the US Army's Apache attack helicopter ATK M230 Chain Gun Automatic Cannon.
The 40mm L/60 High Explosive Incendiary cartridge is fired from the 40mm, M2A1 cannon for air-to-surface engagements by the US Air Force AC-130 gunship.
The 120mm M1002 Multi-Purpose Anti-Tank, Target Practice with Tracer is designed for use with the M1A1/A2 Abrams main battle tank. The M1002 closely replicates the M830A1 High Explosive Anti-Tank, Multi-Purpose with Tracer tactical ammunition in appearance and ballistic performance to provide the armour crewman with an affordable, yet realistic training experience. This award is for year three of a four-year, multi-year contract previously awarded to ATK for tank training ammunition.
The contracts were awarded through US Army Maneuver Ammunition Systems in its role as the Single Manager for Conventional Ammunition, the organisation responsible for the procurement of ammunition for all US armed services.
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