Despite the current turmoil swirling around the budget, deficits, potential sequestration and force reductions, a major theme for aerospace, defense and commercial products company ATK [ATK] continues to be to provide a quality product at a competitive price allowing additional performance for the customer. 

“We talk about affordable innovation–that’s still a big theme that I’m pushing through the company that we still continue to offer affordable yet innovative solutions and products to our customer,” Mark DeYoung, president and CEO of ATK, told Defense Daily. 

As examples, DeYoung pointed to the Advanced Precision Mortar Initiative (APMI), which won the Army’s Innovations of the Year recognition in 2012. It’s an affordable solution to take dumb mortar capability and turn it into a smart mortar with a precision capability.

That means a reduced number of rounds in the inventory, a reduced number of shots at the target, and importantly reduces the likelihood that civilians or infrastructure would be damaged when it’s used. 

“This is an example of an innovation at an affordable cost that has life cycle cost benefits,” DeYoung said.

Another example is the Precision Guidance Kit (PGK) for artillery. This takes 155 millimeter artillery rounds and adds GPS to guide it to the target. “It’s one of these affordable solutions where you don’t have to replace your inventory, you simply make your inventory more capable,” he said.

In another area, from a strategic perspective, ATK wants to be a partner. “We want to work with other companies that have capabilities, we want to help them market, distribute and sell those capabilities,” DeYoung said. “We want to look for partners where they have potential capabilities or components or the ability to work with us to create a solution. We don’t have to make everything that goes into an ATK product. We can accumulate best capability from other partners and sources and bring that together in a product that delivers affordable innovation to our customers.

Non-standard ammunition is an example of ATK managing a supply chain and procuring to a government specification, non-U.S. manufactured ammunition for the Afghan Security Forces, he said. 

ATK has also partnered with French firm Astrium to create a new launch vehicle.

Another series of partnerships is with aircraft platform providers to offer a weaponized aircraft. This involves taking existing capabilities across the company, not just from the gun side. 

Special mission aircraft was an ATK-created capability to put sensors on small aircraft. 

“I was concerned about that strategy when I got this job because we were not a leading provider of sensor-based small aircraft,” he said. “I challenged our special mission aircraft group to come up with something where ATK would have a competitive advantage.

The company shifted from being one of many providers and actually being a small provider of sensor-based aircraft, to weaponizing small aircraft. This is another affordable innovation.

“What ATK does really well is ATK understands munitions, we understand weapon systems, we can integrate those with sensor and fire controls and we can provide affordable solutions for people who are looking at small platform-based gunships for border protection or other missions,” he said.

ATK teams with aircraft manufacturers and bring a weapons solution with a gun, advanced ammunition, and work with other companies for software and fire control and other capabilities to weaponize small aircraft. Jordan, for example, was one of the first customers.  

“It’s being very well received by countries who need a gunship capability for protection but can’t afford a C-130 or rmajor gunship capability,” he said. “They’re looking to us now for a gunship package in a smaller platform. So we’re getting a lot of traction with that internationally.” 

The company sees a strong market for weaponized small aircraft for countries that need an affordable gunship platform. 

DeYoung said. “We’re trying to avoid being trapped as being seen or as running the company as an ammunition company, or a rocket motor company or a space launch company. Yes, we have those capabilities but we’re constantly looking for ways that those capabilities create other opportunities. I think it helps us remain nimble and competitive.”