Orbital ATK gave a close up look at the effectiveness of the company’s common fuze capability for medium caliber ammunition fired from its Bushmaster® Chain Gun® family during a demonstration at the company’s Bushmaster User Conference at Big Sandy Range, Arizona.
Orbital ATK’s common fuze ammunition, used with its M230 Link Fed Bushmaster Chain Gun integrated onto a variety of combat vehicle systems, will appear on an all new episode of “GunnyTime with R. Lee Ermey” on the Outdoor Channel beginning July 19th.
“The common fuze used in our ammunition demonstrated its effectiveness and reliability as witnessed by our customers and partners on the range,” said Dan Olson, Vice President and General Manager of the Armament Systems Division of Orbital ATK’s Defense Systems Group.
“Creating highly-reliable and safe fuzing for a variety of ammunition and weapons is one of our company’s strengths - and it was shown firsthand,” he added.
The developmental common fuze approach was successfully demonstrated in a variety of applications, including the company’s proprietary Programmable Air Burst Munition (PABM) for both 30mm and 40mm ammunition. Once qualified, the Orbital ATK common fuze will support all requirements for point-detonating, point-detonating with delay, proximity and air-bursting. In addition to the flexibility of a single fuze for multiple ammunition types, the new fuze will bring increased reliability and reduced production costs due to the economies of scale.
Orbital ATK is developing a number of new ammunition types through its advanced ammunition initiatives. This includes the 40mm PABM cartridge and an entire Super 40mm family of ammunition to include Target Practice with Tracer, High Explosive Incendiary with Tracer and an Armor Penetrating Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot with Tracer Round.
The company is also developing an advanced proximity-fuzing capability for a new round that will provide the company’s M230 Chain Gun with improved sensing of target signatures in high-clutter environments, combined with an air-bursting capability. The company will demonstrate the proximity round during the 2018 Bushmaster User Conference next spring.
Orbital ATK’s Defense Systems Group is an industry leader in providing innovative and affordable precision and strike weapons, advanced propulsion and hypersonics, missile components across air-, sea- and land-based systems, ammunition and related energetic products.
Orbital ATK is a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies. The company designs, builds and delivers space, defense and aviation systems for customers around the world, both as a prime contractor and merchant supplier. Its main products include launch vehicles and related propulsion systems; missile products, subsystems and defense electronics; precision weapons, armament systems and ammunition; satellites and associated space components and services; and advanced aerospace structures.
Headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, Orbital ATK employs approximately 13,000 people in 18 states across the U.S. and in several international locations.
