Manufacturer catalog

Alliant Techsystems (ATK)

Alliant Techsystems (ATK) was a U.S. aerospace, defense, ammunition, and sporting-products manufacturer incorporated in Delaware in 1990 after Honeywell spun off defense-related businesses. By fiscal 2014, ATK described itself as a world leader in munitions, a leading producer of military small-, medium-, and large-caliber ammunition, a solid-rocket-motor manufacturer, and a producer of precision-strike weapon systems and medium-caliber chain guns.

1 weapons

ATK's defense relevance came from a broad mix of munitions, propulsion, energetics, guidance kits, and gun systems rather than from a single product line. Its 2014 Form 10-K described three operating groups: Aerospace Group, Defense Group, and Sporting Group. The Defense Group covered military ammunition, precision munitions, gun systems, propellant and energetic materials, tactical rocket motors, missile-defense capabilities, airborne missile-warning systems, advanced fuzes, and defense electronics.

The company changed structure in 2015. ATK spun off its Sporting Group as Vista Outdoor and combined the remaining aerospace and defense businesses with Orbital Sciences Corporation; the surviving company changed its name from Alliant Techsystems Inc. to Orbital ATK, Inc. Northrop Grumman completed the acquisition of Orbital ATK on June 6, 2018, turning those operations into Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems. Current product ownership and sustainment may therefore appear under Orbital ATK, Northrop Grumman, or legacy ATK names depending on the source date.

Military small-, medium-, and large-caliber ammunitionPrecision-guided munitions and guidance kitsMedium-caliber chain gunsTactical missile propulsion and rocket motorsFuzes, warheads, and energetic materialsDefense electronics and missile-warning systems

Notable Systems

XM395 Accelerated Precision Mortar Initiative, 120 mm GPS-guided mortar cartridge, Munitions

XM395 Accelerated Precision Mortar Initiative

120 mm GPS-guided mortar cartridge

ATK's 2014 filing identifies its Armament Systems division as the developer and producer of the Mortar Guidance Kit for the U.S. Army's Advanced Precision Mortar Initiative; the catalog's XM395 record covers that GPS-guided 120 mm mortar cartridge.

Sources: Alliant Techsystems FY2014 Form 10-K
AGM-88 HARM, Air-to-surface anti-radiation missile, Munitions

AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile

Air-to-surface anti-radiation missile

NAVAIR reported that the AGM-88E AARGM was produced by Alliant Techsystems and was an upgrade to the AGM-88B HARM; the catalog's AGM-88 HARM record includes AARGM variants in that missile family.

Sources: NAVAIR AARGM enters production, NAVAIR AARGM product page
M242 Bushmaster, 25 mm chain gun autocannon, Armored Vehicles

M242 Bushmaster

25 mm chain gun autocannon

ATK's Armament Systems division produced medium-caliber chain guns used on Bradley Fighting Vehicles, Light Armored Vehicles, coastal patrol craft, and Apache helicopters; the catalog's M242 record covers the 25 mm Bushmaster chain-gun line under current successor sourcing.

Sources: Alliant Techsystems FY2014 Form 10-K, Orbital ATK FY2015 Form 10-K

Manufacturer History

  1. Honeywell defense spinoff creates ATK

    ATK told the SEC that Honeywell transferred substantially all assets and liabilities of specified defense-related businesses to Alliant Techsystems in 1990 and distributed ATK common stock to Honeywell stockholders.

    Sources: Alliant Techsystems FY2001 Form 10-K

  2. ATK reports three operating groups

    For fiscal 2014, ATK reported Aerospace, Defense, and Sporting groups, with Defense Group work spanning ammunition, precision munitions, gun systems, energetics, tactical rocket motors, missile defense, fuzes, and defense electronics.

    Sources: Alliant Techsystems FY2014 Form 10-K

  3. Orbital ATK transition closes

    Orbital ATK's 2015 filing says the Sporting Group was spun off as Vista Outdoor and the remaining ATK company combined with Orbital Sciences, after which the company changed its name from Alliant Techsystems Inc. to Orbital ATK, Inc.

    Sources: Orbital ATK FY2015 Form 10-K

  4. Northrop Grumman acquisition completes

    Northrop Grumman announced that it closed the Orbital ATK acquisition on June 6, 2018 and made Orbital ATK a new sector called Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems.

    Sources: Northrop Grumman Orbital ATK acquisition

Predecessors
Honeywell defense-related businessesHoneywell Defense and Marine Systems BusinessHoneywell Test Instruments DivisionHoneywell Signal Analysis Center
Successors
Vista OutdoorOrbital ATKNorthrop Grumman Innovation SystemsNorthrop Grumman
Website links
Northrop GrummanNorthrop Grumman Orbital ATK acquisitionSEC ATK FY2014 Form 10-KNAVAIR AARGM product page

ATK, Orbital ATK, and Northrop Grumman appear in different source periods for the same industrial lineage. This profile keeps the historical Alliant Techsystems attribution while noting successor ownership where public sources moved programs into Orbital ATK or Northrop Grumman.

Manufacturer Sources

  • Alliant Techsystems FY2001 Form 10-KPublisher: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission | Note: Supports ATK's 1990 Honeywell spinoff origin and the transfer of Honeywell defense-related businesses into Alliant Techsystems. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Alliant Techsystems FY2014 Form 10-KPublisher: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission | Note: Supports ATK headquarters, fiscal 2014 operating groups, munitions and propulsion scope, APMI Mortar Guidance Kit attribution, medium-caliber chain-gun production, Lake City ammunition plant operation, and the planned Sporting Group spin-off and Orbital merger. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Orbital ATK FY2015 Form 10-KPublisher: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission | Note: Supports the February 9, 2015 Vista Outdoor distribution, Orbital Sciences merger, name change to Orbital ATK, post-merger headquarters in Dulles, and Defense Systems Group product lines. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • NAVAIR AARGM enters productionPublisher: Naval Air Systems Command | Note: Supports the 2008 AGM-88E AARGM low-rate production decision, Alliant Techsystems production attribution, and AARGM relationship to AGM-88B HARM. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • NAVAIR AARGM product pagePublisher: Naval Air Systems Command | Note: Supports current AARGM description, Orbital ATK contractor identification, SEAD/DEAD mission, HARM upgrade relationship, and selected system specifications. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Northrop Grumman Orbital ATK acquisitionPublisher: Northrop Grumman | Note: Supports Northrop Grumman's June 6, 2018 completion of the Orbital ATK acquisition and the creation of Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems. | Accessed: 2026-07-11

Produced weapons

Category

Munitions

Standalone missiles, bombs, rockets, torpedoes, and guided or unguided explosive payloads.

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XM395 Accelerated Precision Mortar Initiative, 120 mm GPS-guided mortar cartridge, Munitions2001 War in AfghanistanXM395 Accelerated Precision Mortar Initiative120 mm GPS-guided mortar cartridgeBuilt in: United StatesXM395 Accelerated Precision Mortar Initiative is a U.S. Army 120 mm GPS-guided mortar cartridge developed by ATK and fielded with U.S. forces in Afghanistan in March 2011. Army and NDIA materials describe a standard M934 high-explosive body fitted with GPS guidance, multi-option fuzing, and fire-control programming for ground-mounted and Stryker-mounted 120 mm mortar systems.