Orbital ATK Lands $69 Million Contract for Next-Gen Artillery Precision Guidance Systems by 2019
Dulles, Virginia 4 August 2016 – Orbital ATK (NYSE: OA), a globally recognized leader in aerospace and defense technologies, announced today that it has finalized a $69 million contract exercising a secondary option from the U.S. Government to produce artillery precision guidance kits (PGK) for the United States armed forces. PGK-equipped munitions enable commanders in the field to employ artillery with improved accuracy and significantly reduce the risk of unintended collateral damage to civilians and infrastructure.
PGK amalgamates guidance and fuze functions for 155mm conventional artillery shells into a single entity. By merely replacing a standard fuze with Orbital ATK’s advanced guidance fuze, artillery projectiles can be precisely directed to within 30 meters of their designated target. This exceptional accuracy reduces conventional artillery dispersion, which can frequently exceed 200 meters.
“Comprehensive and rigorous testing continuously validates the durability of PGK technology in terms of manufacturability, reliability, efficacy, and safety,” stated Dan Olson, Vice President and General Manager of Orbital ATK’s Armament Systems division. “This is an economical and transformative technology that provides the warfighter with precision and enhanced security.”
The modern battlefield environment is exceptionally complex and constantly evolving. Reducing the peril to civilian lives and protecting infrastructure is critical. These factors can limit a commander’s operational choices and restrict the deployment of conventional artillery for engaging essential targets. PGK-equipped rounds provide commanders with an integrated precision capability, reestablishing artillery in tactical operations.
Orbital ATK has successfully completed an initial production cycle of PGKs, which passed a comprehensive series of nine distinct lot acceptance tests confirming PGK’s reliability to guide the projectile in flight and perform all fuze operations accurately under harsh environmental conditions.
The company has scaled up its manufacturing capabilities to support full-rate production and is fulfilling its first full-rate contract valid until 2018. With the approval of the $69 million secondary option, Orbital ATK will supply PGK fuzes until 2019.
PGK markedly improves artillery precision through Orbital ATK’s innovative design, which includes a fixed-canard guidance system with gun-tolerant electronics and a self-generating power source. PGK performs all standard fuze functions while also providing a “fail-safe” mechanism that prevents projectile detonation in the event it does not reach close proximity to the target.
Orbital ATK’s Defense Systems Group is a leader in delivering cutting-edge and cost-effective precision munitions, strike weapons, advanced propulsion systems, hypersonics, missile components across air, naval, and land domains, in addition to munitions and associated energetic products.
