Lockheed Martin [LMT] Aug. 21 announced it received an $80 million Army contract for additional Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) Unitary missiles.
Under the contract, issued by Army Aviation & Missile Command, deliveries for the order will begin in August 2010 and conclude in March 2011. The work will be conducted at the company’s facilities in Dallas and Horizon City, Texas.
“ATACMS is a combat-proven, lethal asset in the war on terror,” Lt. Col. Drew Clanton, the ATACMS product manager at the Army’s Precision Fires, Rockets and Missiles Program Management Office in Huntsville, Ala., said. “Its accuracy and lethality continues to be demonstrated in theater against high-value targets.”
Scott Arnold, vice president for Precision Fires and Combat Maneuver Systems at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, said: “ATACMS’ accuracy and range enables our Warfighters to engage targets over large distances. It’s clear that our customers depend on ATACMS to carry out their most challenging missions.”
During Operation Desert Storm, ATACMS became the first tactical surface-to-surface missile ever fired in combat by the U.S. Army.
ATACMS is a combat-proven evolutionary family of missiles that also scored numerous successes again in Operation Iraqi Freedom, during which more than 450 missiles were fired.
The Army’s latest order for ATACMS missiles was in first quarter 2008, when Lockheed Martin received a $194 million production contract.
ATACMS is a long-range missile artillery round designed specifically for destroying high-priority targets at ranges up to 300 kilometers. Successfully used in both urban and non-urban environments, it is able to deliver a wide variety of warhead options. Moreover, it can operate in all climate and light conditions while remaining beyond the range of most conventional weapons.
Each ATACMS missile is packaged in a Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) launch pod and is fired from the MLRS family of launchers. The MLRS M270 and M270A1 launchers can carry two ATACMS missiles, or 12 MLRS rockets, in a full load. The High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) carries a single ATACMS missile, or six MLRS rockets, and is C- 130 transportable.