Orbital ATK announced it has produced 25,000 M1156 Precision Guidance Kits (PGK) for the United States Army and Marine Corps. The GPS guidance kit reduces the ballistic dispersion of conventional 155mm artillery projectiles - transforming them into near-precision weapons.

“PGK is an example of how leveraging existing weapons systems and transforming them with incremental technology enhancements can deliver the warfighter an overmatch capability that has greater reliability and effectiveness at a fraction of the cost of more advanced munitions,” said Dan Olson, Vice President and General Manager for Orbital ATK’s Armament Systems division, part of the Defense Systems Group.

“Looking to the future, we are applying PGK principles to create additional precision weapons that have cross domain applications,” he added.

The guidance kit, which replaces conventional artillery projectile fuzes and requires no additional modifications to the existing projectile inventories, provides greater precision which in addition to being more effective against enemy targets also reduces the potential for collateral damage to friendly troops and non-combatants.

This ability to deliver precision fires and reduce collateral damage greatly increases the utility of cannon fires for use on today’s dynamic battlefield which includes a range of asymmetric threats as well as the emergence of peer adversaries.

Orbital ATK recently concluded the second production year and is currently executing its third production year at its Armament Systems division facility located in Plymouth, Minnesota.

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. 

Orbital ATK’s 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 14,000 people across the U.S. and in several international locations.