Arlington, Va. 13 June 2013
Arlington, Va., June 14, 2013 – ATK (NYSE: ATK) and Alenia Aermacchi successfully completed the first phase of ground and flight tests of their MC-27J multi-mission aircraft. A Roll-On/Roll-Off (RORO) Gun System pallet was installed and tested on the Alenia Aermacchi C-27J Spartan airlifter. The series of tests were conducted by ATK and Alenia personnel at Eglin Air Force base in Florida. The test events were designed and certified by the U.S. Air Force and deemed successful by Air Force Special Operations Command.
The series of ground and flight tests demonstrated the ability of the C-27J to host the self-contained, modular pallet utilizing ATK’s proven GAU-23 30mm cannon in a side-firing configuration. Live-fire tests and a timed demonstration of the ability to quickly go from a cargo configuration to a weaponized configuration of the aircraft exceeded all test objectives.
“The performance and functionality of the gunship pallet in this first round of testing met all of our objectives, and we are now ready to move on to Phase 2 of development and testing,” said Bill Kasting, vice president and general manager for ATK Defense Electronic Systems. “Our modular Roll-on/Roll-off mission and weapon systems, coupled with the proven capability of the C-27J, provide customers with an adaptable, agile and affordable multi-mission solution".
"The introduction of the ATK palletized system is a perfect fit for the C-27J,” said Ben Stone, President and Chief Executive Officer of Alenia Aermacchi North America. “It combines the aircraft’s inherent mission capability with ATK’s proven ability to develop cost-effective integration solutions. We are excited to continue Phase 2 of the test program to provide our worldwide customers true multi-mission options for the already combat-proven C-27J Spartan”.
ATK and Alenia Aermacchi announced their intent to jointly develop and market the MC-27J multi-mission aircraft using a phased approach at the Farnborough Air Show last year. The MC-27J will provide customers with the ability to quickly transition from a tactical cargo mission to a persistent multi-mission capability utilizing RORO pallets for the integrated mission system consoles, GAU-23 cannon, Precision Guided Munition weapon systems and enabling C2/ISR architectures. The next phase will further advance the Technology Readiness Level of this game-changing product.
ATK is an aerospace, defense, and commercial products company with operations in 21 states, Puerto Rico, and internationally. News and information can be found on the Internet at www.atk.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/atk, or on Twitter @ATK.
Alenia Aermacchi, a Finmeccanica company, has a role of primary importance in the world’s civil and defence aeronautical industry, counts a total workforce of ca. 11,000 people and operates in the design, development, production and integrated support of commercial and military aircraft, trainers, uncrewed aerial vehicles and aerostructures. In 2012 it reported revenues of € 2.97 billions, orders of € 3.2 billions and a backlog of € 8.8 billions. For more information, please visit www.aleniaaermacchi.it, Twitter: @AleniaAermacchi.
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: changes in governmental spending, budgetary policies and product sourcing strategies; the company's competitive environment; the terms and timing of awards and contracts; and economic conditions. ATK undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. For further information on factors that could impact ATK, and statements contained herein, please refer to ATK’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.