Orbital ATK Successfully Demonstrates New Advanced Missile Warhead for High Temperatures and Velocities
Orbital ATK (NYSE: OA), a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies, has successfully demonstrated its new advanced missile warhead designed to survive in high temperature environments and function at hyper velocities. Using decades of experience in developing and fielding advanced warheads, Orbital ATK designed, built and validated the new missile warhead for hypersonic speeds in less than 60 days.
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Orbital ATK’s demonstration validated the design of its advanced missile warhead for hypersonic speeds, as well as confirmed the effectiveness of the additive manufacturing materials and process. (Photo: Business Wire)
For the demonstration, Orbital ATK employed its proven modeling capability, which correlates real world results to accurately predict weapon performance in order to reduce time spent in the design phase. In addition, the tested warheads were built with additive manufacturing to produce the warheads’ precise and complicated geometric shapes relatively quickly, speeding up their readiness for testing.
“Successfully completing an R&D program in less than 60 days does not happen by accident. There are very few companies that can offer a similar combination of technical expertise and schedule responsiveness,” said Pat Nolan, Vice President and General Manager of Missile Products at Orbital ATK. “Our deep heritage in high speed systems as well as warheads, fuzes and rocket motors, enables our team to develop innovative technologies that will ultimately help the warfighter be ready for challenges on the battlefield and able to execute their missions reliably, precisely and safely.”
Designing a warhead for high velocities is dramatically different than designing a normal warhead, as it needs to be shaped differently to ensure the fragmentation occurs as intended against the target. The tested warheads leveraged Orbital ATK’s Lethality Enhanced Ordnance (LEO) fragmentation technology, a scalable solution with the ability to provide an extended range in a variety of warhead sizes.
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.
About Orbital ATK
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 14,000 people across the U.S. and in several international locations. For more information, visit www.orbitalatk.com.
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