ATK announced the award of a first-year, $12 million contract to deliver 30mm MK266 ammunition to the U.S. Navy.

This is a single award, firm-fixed-price, five-year indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract for 30mm x 173mm, MK266 High Explosive Incendiary with Trace Cartridges in MK15 Linked Belts.  This multi-year contract has a potential value of $41 million should all possible follow on contracts be awarded through 2018.

The ammunition is used with the MK46 Mod 2 Gun Weapon System, which is composed of ATK's MK44, 30mm Bushmaster automatic cannon.  This weapon system arms the U.S. Navy's San Antonio class Landing Platform Dock (LPD) ships and Littoral Combat Ships (LCS).

“We take great pride in developing and producing ammunition that provides superior performance and reliability,” said Bruce DeWitt, Vice President and General Manager for ATK's Armament Systems division.

“Our medium-caliber expertise includes a full spectrum of highly effective and accurate tactical ammunition for air, ground and sea platforms as well as cost-effective training ammunition that provides a realistic experience for the warfighter,” he added.

The MK266 is a modification to the PGU-13 High Explosive Incendiary 30mm round, accomplished by adding a tracer and ATK's Low Drag Fuze. The non-self-destruct, Low Drag Fuze, produced exclusively by ATK, provides superior performance at extended range. The MK266 rounds may also be used for any cannon that fires 30mm x 173mm ammunition.

Program management for the MK266 is headquartered at ATK's Defense Group facility located in Plymouth, Minn., while ammunition production activities take place at Allegany Ballistics Laboratory in Rocket Center, West Virginia and New River Energetics in Radford, Virginia.  First-year production deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2014.

The contract was awarded through the Project Manager Maneuver Ammunition Systems (PM MAS) under its role as the Single Manager for Conventional Ammunition (SMCA), which is responsible for the procurement of ammunition for all the Armed Services.