ATK’s Newest Business Group Lands Contracts With Combined Potential Value of $18.5 Million
Program and Technology Development Contracts for NASA, Air Force and Industry
ATK (NYSE: ATK) Advanced
Propulsion and Space Systems (APSS), the company’s newest business group, has
received a series of advanced technology contracts valued at $8.5 million.
Follow-on options could bring the total value to $18.5 million. APSS was
formed on April 1, 2004, and is chartered with extending the company’s reach
into advanced propulsion, composite and space systems technologies.
Don Shaffer, senior vice president, APSS, said the recent contract wins
highlight ATK’s wealth of experience in advanced composite structures used in
next-generation weapons and space systems.
“Composite structures are critical to affordable and safe space
exploration as well as advanced weaponry,” said Shaffer. “ATK is a world
leader in composite material fabrication and these recent wins confirm the
company’s strategy to group all of its composite engineering and fabrication
in one cohesive business that gives the best value to our customers.”
Details of the contracts are as follows:
— Delivery of fully functional Electrostatically Clean Solar Array
(ECSA) panels to Swales Aerospace for NASA’s THEMIS program, a
constellation of five small satellites scheduled for launch in
2006-2007 aboard a single Delta II rocket.
— Development of high-temperature aeroshells that provide protective
cover for spacecraft during descent and landing on future missions to
Mars or other destinations.
— A 16-month contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Materials
and Manufacturing Directorate (AFRL/ML) at Wright-Patterson Air Force
Base to improve affordability of future aircraft engines. ATK will
perform seven specific tasks intended to maintain the physical and
mechanical properties of the material system while significantly
reducing costs.
— Development and demonstration of a cost-effective tooling approach for
fabricating large composite components for an Evolved Expandable
Launch Vehicle (EELV) under a contract to the U.S. Air Force Research
Laboratory’s Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL/VS) at Kirtland Air
Force Base.
— The design, fabrication and testing for AFRL/VS of large composite
payload fairings for space launch applications. Technology
innovations include an efficient, out-of-autoclave cure process
designed to reduce manufacturing lead times.
— Design, development and engineering support for an industry team
formed by WebCore Technologies, Kettering, Ohio, to design, build, and
test a lightweight, low-cost weapons bay door for the Boeing
Joint-Unmanned Combat Air System (J-UCAS) vehicle.
— Production of the composite filament-wound Airborne Fire Fighting
System (AFFS) Main Tanks for the Lockheed Martin C-130 adapted for
fire fighting missions.
ATK is a $2.4 billion advanced weapon and space systems company employing
13,100 people in 23 states. News and information can be found on the Internet
at http://www.atk.com .
Certain information discussed in this press release constitutes
forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. Although ATK believes that the expectations reflected in
such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can
give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved. Forward-looking
information is subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties that could
cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Among those
factors are: the technical challenges of advanced aerospace work, changes in
governmental spending and budgetary policies, economic conditions, equity
market returns, the company’s competitive environment, the timing of awards
and contracts, the outcome of contingencies, including litigation and
environmental remediation, program performance, and sales projections. ATK
undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. For further
information on factors that could impact ATK, and statements contained herein,
reference should be made to ATK’s filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, including quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form
8-K and annual reports on Form 10-K.
