Alliant Techsystems was awarded a $4 million Integration and Demonstration (I and D) contract by the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command. ATK was one of three companies awarded an I and D contract to develop an alternative warhead for the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS).

The I and D phase will span 17 months and conclude with a live-fire test at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, where the Army will down-select a design to proceed into the engineering and manufacturing design and demonstration (EMDD) phase.

During the I and D phase ATK will perform engineering trade studies, component and system optimization, simulation and analysis, preliminary design, and warhead fabrication and testing. The ultimate goal is to develop a drop-in replacement for the currently fielded Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munition (DPICM) warhead for the GMLRS.

In 2008, ATK self-funded the development and testing of two GMLRS warhead configurations to demonstrate different technical designs.

Both configurations were successfully tested and the best design was selected for the I and D phase. ATK's innovative design uses commercial grade components to meet mission requirements, lower technical risk, match current warhead flight characteristics and not modify the existing delivery system.

"ATK's GMLRS alternative warhead design is a prime example of our ability to develop innovative and advanced technical approaches to deliver safer, more effective and affordable products for our warfighters," said Bart Olson, vice president and general manager of ATK Tactical Propulsion and Controls division.

"ATK's self-funded demonstration program allowed us to enter this competition with a design that meets mission requirements, reduces the likelihood of battlefield unexploded ordnance, and meets our customer's cost goals."