Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) and FN Manufacturing, LLC (FNMI), have received a $53.4 million contract from the U.S. Army Joint Munitions and Lethality Life Cycle Management Command, Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, to produce Mk19 Mod-3 Grenade Machine Guns (GMG).
This will be the first crew-served weapon system manufactured by ATK. The contract also expands ATK’s existing portfolio of medium-caliber gun systems beyond its chain guns.
In addition to its role as systems integrator, ATK will perform barrel manufacture, gun assembly and test operations. FNMI will provide gun sub-assemblies. Work on the Mk19 will be performed by ATK at its facility in Mesa, Ariz.
ATK currently manufactures 25mm through 40mm variants of its Bushmaster cannons and more than eight million rounds of medium-caliber ammunition per year. The cannons are sold in more than 30 countries and are the primary gun on Bradley fighting vehicles and the Apache helicopter for the U.S. Army.
ATK, the largest supplier of ammunition to the United States military, also received an additional $104.3 million in military small-caliber ammunition orders from the U.S. Army Sustainment Command in Rock Island, Ill.
Work on the contracts will be performed by ATK, at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant (LCAAP), in Independence, Mo. ATK began operating the plant in 2000. The company is also under contract with the Army to modernize the facility to increase efficiency and capacity.
LCAAP produces a mix of 5.56mm, 7.62mm, .50-caliber and 20mm cartridges. Working in partnership with the Army, ATK has expanded manufacturing capacity at the plant. The company is on track to deliver 1.4 billion rounds of ammunition in FY09.
