After Many Delays, XM-25 Grenade Launcher to Enter Qual Testing, Contract Validation

The maker of a new grenade launcher that can fire rounds that explode when they pass walls or barriers is "finalizing development" of a weapon it believes will give soldiers a serious edge.

XM-25 carries a magazine of five 25mm grenade rounds and a fire-control system that lets the soldier instantly program how far the grenade will travel before it explodes. That means a soldier can engage an enemy hiding behind a target — only he doesn't need to hit something to ruin the enemy's hiding place and his day.

According to XM-25 maker Orbital ATK spokesman Jarrod Krull, in spring the Army will conduct qualification testing and contract validation. If the weapon fulfills the Army's requirements, the Army could see fielding in early 2017, Krull said — assuming budget decisions also line up in the weapon system's favor.

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Orbital ATK’s Cygnus Returning to Space Station on ULA Atlas V in December

Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft is set to return to International Space Station (ISS) resupply duties in December, hitching a ride on an Atlas V, prior to resuming operations with the modified Antares rocket in 2016. Cygnus has been out of action since the CRS-3/OrB-3 failure that occurred in October 2014 – with the full investigation results yet to be released to the public.

The return of Cygnus resupply missions will prove to be a welcome boost for the ISS, following an unprecedented loss of three Visiting Vehicle missions in close succession, including the OrB-3 Cygnus that was lost shortly after launch.

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Orbital ATK Test Fired Hit-to-kill Anti RPG Helicopter Active Protection System

Launched from a fixed ALE-47 Countermeasures Dispense System, the HAPS Kill Vehicle (KV) was able to perform pitch maneuvers and fly to a detonation point that simulated the location of an incoming rocket-propelled grenade (RPG).

The HAPS system consists of an Engagement Management Module, a slightly-modified Counter Measures Dispense System, such as the ALE-47, and the KVs that launch from the counter-measures dispenser.

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If it works for helicopters, you can bet it can for tanks.  Whoa nelly then!

ATK to Finish XM-25 Development, Expected to Begin Production in 2016

The US Army is further developing its 25 mm XM25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement (CDTE) system as the service considers possible procurement in 2016.

Prime contractor ATK was awarded a USD33.4 million contract in September to complete the weapon's engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase within the next two years, company spokesman Jarrod Krull told IHS Jane's on 14 October at the Association of the United States Army's (AUSA's) annual conference.

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Orbital Sciences & ATK Merging

Orbital Sciences Corporation and Alliant Techsystems (ATK) are to merge their aerospace and defence groups to create a new USD4.5 billion company to be called Orbital ATK, Inc, the companies announced on 29 April.

Orbital ATK will operate in a range of markets including space launch vehicles and propulsion systems, tactical missiles and defence electronics, satellites and space systems, armament systems and ammunition, and commercial and military aircraft structures and related components.

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Liberty launch vehicle is completely toast, but it makes you wonder if they might not revive the capsule ATK was proposing to compete with SpaceX's Dragon for human spaceflight.

ATK Demonstrates 40 kilowatt, Light Weight Solar Arrays

ATK (NYSE: ATK) demonstrated full deployment of a large MegaFlex™ solar array under a NASA contract to further the development of a high-power system to be used for future robotic and manned exploration missions.

ATK’s 9.6 meter (32 ft) diameter Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) MegaFlex solar array design is capable of generating approximately 40kW of power with two wings when fully populated with solar cells, and it has been considered for near-term mission concepts such as NASA’s Asteroid Redirect Mission. The full deployment demonstration of MegaFlex was successfully conducted at ATK’s Goleta, Calf. facility on Dec. 9. The system completed validation testing through December before being shipped to NASA’s Glenn Research Center Plum Brook Station for thermal vacuum deployment testing this month.

“NASA’s over-arching objective is to further the development of low mass solar arrays that can be stowed very compactly for high-power SEP systems to be used for future robotic and manned exploration missions,” said David Shanahan, vice president and general manager of ATK Aerospace Group’s Space Components division. “By building on our family of solar arrays, our team was able to develop this breakthrough with affordable innovation and in rapid fashion to support NASA’s far-reaching planning efforts.”

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