ATK, General Dynamics to provide artillery guidance, propulsion, and warheads to Precision to Extended Range Munition for U.S. Marine Corps 120mm mortar system

Posted by Courtney E. Howard

MINNEAPOLIS, 5 Oct. 2011. Engineers at ATK (NYSE:ATK) and General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD), are partnering to deliver a system designed to meet the United States Marine Corps' requirements for the rifled, 120mm Precision Extended Range Mortar (PERM). ATK, as the prime contractor for the PERM Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) program, will provide guidance fuze technology to be combined with propulsion and warhead subsystems from General Dynamics.

"By combining our proven mortar guidance capability with General Dynamics' propulsion technology and EFSS experience, we stand to offer the Marine Corps a low-risk, capabilities-based solution that will fulfill their requirements in the shortest time possible," explains Bruce DeWitt, vice president and general manager for ATK's Advanced Weapons division.

PERM is part of the Ship-to-Objective-Maneuver (STOM) contingency operations, which support Marine infantry units with long-range (16 to 20 kilometer) mortars fired from the Expeditionary Fire Support System (EFSS) towed-mortar platform. The EFSS light, mobile, vertically transportable indirect fire support system includes a pair of Prime Mover vehicles, a 120mm M327 mortar weapon, the four-round family of munitions, and an ammunition trailer. It is designed to be transportable in the MV-22B Osprey and CH-53 helicopter.