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Alliant Techsystems said that it has received three more contracts, worth a total of $148 million, to supply weapons and ammunition to American and allied military forces.
The largest of the three contracts secured by ATK's Armament Systems Group, based in Clearfield, is to continue the design, production and testing of a semiautomatic weapon for the U.S. Army.
The $65.8 million, 30-month contract is to produce what is known as the XM25, a rifle that fires a 25mm "airbursting round" that is programmed to detonate above an intended target.
Bruce DeWitt, vice president of ATK's advanced weapons division, said in a release that "the XM25 provides the soldier on the ground a precision weapon to quickly and accurately engage targets behind cover at ranges and accuracies not seen in today's small arms … day or night and in all weather conditions."
Prototypes of the weapon have been deployed to Afghanistan, where they are carried on patrols and used at combat outposts in areas experiencing high levels of enemy activity, DeWitt said.
ATK also received a $50 million contract to produce armor-penetrating ammunition fired from AH-64 Apache attack helicopters. These high-explosive rounds are in use in Afghanistan and Iraq, another ATK vice president, Dan Olson, said in a release.
The third contract, for $33.5 million, is to provide medium-caliber cannons to customers in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, Olson said.
Manufactured in Mesa, Ariz., these versatile cannons are used on Bradley fighting vehicles, light-armored vehicles, Apache attack helicopters and coastal patrol boats.
Mike Gorrell