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Alliant wins Navy anti-missile test contract
Minnesota company says contract is a moving target.
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Eden Prairie-based Alliant Techsystems has been awarded a $97 million contract to develop an advanced supersonic missile that can test the effectiveness of the Navy's defense systems for anti-ship cruise missiles.
Alliant's Multi-stage Supersonic Target will mimic the advancing flight pattern of an advanced enemy missile and simulate a supersonic blasting capability. The system under development is expected to include an unmanned aerial target, a launcher and support equipment, as well as testing and training.
It will be designed to mimic the latest in anti-ship missile technology being developed in other countries. The testing system is expected to mimic land-to-ship launches.
Alliant, a $4.6 billion defense and aerospace firm with 17,000 workers in 21 states, will work with CEi in Sacramento, Calif., to build two engineering evaluation units and seven engineering development models.
The target technology marks a new direction for Alliant Techsystems and has the potential to trigger "hundreds of millions of dollars" in production contracts over the next decade, said company spokesman Bryce Hallowell. With certain incentives, the current contract could to grow to $103 million by the time the system is delivered in 2012, Alliant officials said.
Some of the initial testing technology was conceived by Alliant engineers in Plymouth.
Work for the missile testing system will be done largely in Minnesota, Maryland, California and Kansas.
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