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Alliant Techsystems Awarded $2 Million Contract For JPATS Laser Canopy Fracturing Initiation System

Minneapolis, Nov. 25, 1996 -- Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) said its Aerospace Systems Group has been awarded a contract valued at $2 million from Raytheon Aircraft to qualify its Laser Canopy Fracturing Initiation System for use in the Raytheon Aircraft Beech/Pilatus PC-9 MkIITM, the airplane that will be used to train U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy pilots into the next century. The contract contains production options for 141 Laser Canopy Fracturing Initiation Systems.

The Beech MkII was the winning entry in the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS) program, which involves the production of up to 711 training aircraft through the year 2017 under a $4 billion program. Seven aircraft companies participated in the competition.

Alliant's Laser Canopy Fracturing Initiation System uses fiber optic cable and laser technology to initiate the explosive system that fractures the aircraft canopy before the pilot’s ejection seat passes through it. Unlike explosive transfer lines currently used for ejection systems, the fiber optic cables employed by Alliant’s system do not have to be replaced periodically, simplifying both aircraft design and maintenance.

David A. Cole, program manager, said Alliant is pleased to be a part of the Raytheon Aircraft team on this important program. "We are committed to producing a highly reliable, low-cost system that will provide for the safety of the men and women who train to fly our nation's military aircraft," said Cole.

Cole said both aircraft seats have a movement detector laser assembly which is automatically activated if the seat moves three-eighths of an inch during an emergency ejection. In the event of a ground emergency, the system has cockpit laser assemblies which the pilots can use to fracture the canopy and exit the aircraft without using the ejection seat. Outside the cockpit, two laser assemblies in easy-to-access compartments just above the wings can be used by ground crews to activate the canopy fracturing system if the pilots are injured.

The technology behind the Laser Canopy Fracturing Initiation System evolves from laser systems developed by Alliant in the mid-1980s for ignition of rocket motors on tactical missile systems such as the Sea Sparrow and the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM).

"Our unique patented laser initiation system offers a number of advantages, including self-contained power, rugged fiber optic transmission cables, and long-life laser assemblies -- all of which add up to a highly reliable system with low life-cycle costs," said Cole.

Peter A. Bukowick, group vice president, Aerospace Systems, said Alliant’s canopy fracturing system potentially could replace older technology systems on aircraft that have canopy removal systems, including the S-3 aircraft and the Cobra helicopter. It also could replace older technology systems used by ejection seat manufacturers.

"We are actively pursuing contracts to provide the Emergency Escape Sequencing System for the F-22 air superiority fighter and the egress system for the future Joint Strike Fighter," said Bukowick. "We also have had success outside the Department of Defense. In March, we were selected by the National Aeronautic and Space Administration’s Johnson Space Center to provide laser initiation systems to release the landing parachute employed by NASA’s Crew Return Vehicle. We have made several deliveries and NASA is very impressed with the system."

Work on the JPATS program will be conducted at Aerospace System’s tactical propulsion systems manufacturing facility at the Allegany Ballistics Laboratory, Rocket Center, W. Va.

Of the 17 companies supplying parts for the Beech MkII, 15 are either based in the U.S. or will manufacture the parts in their U.S. plants. Ten states are represented in the JPATS manufacturing program, with 95 percent of the aircraft scheduled to be built in the U.S.

Alliant Techsystems’ Aerospace Systems Group reported fiscal year 1996 sales of $553 million. The group employs approximately 4,000 people and has operations in Kansas, Minnesota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Alliant Techsystems is a $1.2 billion aerospace and defense company with approximately 7,600 employees and operations in 24 states. The company, headquartered in Hopkins, Minn., comprises four business groups: Aerospace Systems, Defense Systems, Marine Systems, and Emerging Business.