ATK, a leader in weaponized, special-mission aircraft, in conjunction with King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB), has delivered the first modified CASA-235 light gunship aircraft to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
ATK was awarded a contract by KADDB to modify two of the country's CASA-235 transport aircraft into highly capable and cost-effective special mission aircraft.
The completed aircraft has been delivered to the customer and will be featured during the 10th edition of the Special Operations Conference and Exhibition (SOFEX), May 6-8, 2014, in Amman, Jordan.
ATK, with the full participation of KADDB, began the U.S.-based flight and gun test program in the fall of 2013. The comprehensive test program was conducted to validate the performance of the gunship and to perform system checkouts. Testing included a full suite of aircraft flying qualities, sensor and weapons testing, with accuracy validation completed in March 2014.
“The delivery of this light gunship is a significant achievement for the program and our collaborative partnership with KADDB and Jordan. We brought together our strong weapon and mission systems expertise from across ATK Defense to provide this important multi-mission gunship capability to our allies,” said Mike Kahn, Senior Vice President and President of ATK's Defense Group.
In collaboration with KADDB, ATK developed and provided the system integration and aircraft modifications to turn a CASA-235 cargo plane into a multi-mission gunship. Modifications included the installation of an electro-optical targeting system, a laser designator, aircraft self-protection equipment, a synthetic aperture radar and an armaments capability that provides sustained and precise firepower in a variety of scenarios using Hellfire laser-guided missiles, 2.75-inch rockets, and a side-mounted M230 link-fed 30mm chain gun.
The ATK-supplied gun is controlled by the fire-control system, automatically linking the gun's aim point to the selected target of interest, as illuminated by the mission operators using the laser designator. These capabilities are integrated with and controlled by ATK's Mission System that provides both day and night reconnaissance and fire control capabilities, and the ability to acquire, monitor and track items of interest.
The gunship capability package is part of ATK's Special Mission Aircraft product portfolio, which provides affordable, responsive and advanced capabilities to customer-preferred platforms, including a roll-on, roll-off palletized approach.
ATK's expertise includes outfitting various aircraft -- including the Alenia C-27J, CASA CN-235/295, Lockheed C-130, Bombardier Dash-8, Hawker Beechcraft King Air, Cessna Caravan and others - with integrated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and weapons employment capabilities.
