Manufacturer catalog

Primex Technologies

Primex Technologies was a U.S. defense and aerospace manufacturer formed from Olin Corporation's ordnance and aerospace businesses at the start of 1997. Its public product base covered munitions, propellants, satellite propulsion systems, electronics products, projectile integration, and warhead integration before General Dynamics acquired the company in January 2001 and renamed it General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems.

2 weapons

Primex Technologies occupied a short but important position in the post-Cold War consolidation of the U.S. munitions industrial base. Olin's 1996 SEC filing says Olin completed the spin-off of its ordnance and aerospace businesses as Primex Technologies on December 31, 1996, with Primex beginning business as a separate entity on January 1, 1997. Forecast International also ties the Primex name to the former Olin Ordnance organization in St. Petersburg, Florida, and reports that the company purchased Aerojet Ordnance in early 1994.

General Dynamics' acquisition documents and annual report describe why Primex mattered to the larger defense market: the company brought medium- and large-caliber ammunition, propellants, satellite propulsion systems, electronics products, and subcontract relationships in missile and precision-guided munitions. The strongest source-backed weapon connections are the CBU-87/B Combined Effects Munition and BLU-97/B Combined Effects Bomblet production lineage inherited through Olin Ordnance and Aerojet Ordnance.

Air-delivered cluster munitionsCombined-effects submunitionsMedium- and large-caliber ammunitionPropellantsProjectile and warhead integrationSatellite propulsion systems

Notable Systems

CBU-87 cluster munition, Air-delivered cluster munition, Munitions

CBU-87 cluster munition

Air-delivered cluster munition

Forecast International reports that Primex Technologies, then Olin Ordnance, received an October 1994 CBU-87B/B, CBU-87C/B, and CBU-87(T-1)/B procurement contract, and it identifies General Dynamics/Alliant/U.S. Government production totals for the CBU-87/B program.

Sources: Forecast International CBU-87/B
BLU-97/B Combined Effects Bomblet, Cluster submunition, Munitions

BLU-97/B Combined Effects Bomblet

Cluster submunition

The BLU-97/B was the CBU-87/B submunition payload; Forecast International places BLU-97/B production in the same Aerojet, Primex, General Dynamics, Alliant, and U.S. Government production lineage for the CBU-87/B application.

Sources: Forecast International CBU-87/B

Manufacturer History

  1. Aerojet Ordnance purchased

    Forecast International states that Primex Technologies, then Olin Ordnance, purchased Aerojet Ordnance in early 1994, tying the later Primex name to earlier CBU-87/B and BLU-97/B production activity.

    Sources: Forecast International CBU-87/B

  2. Olin spin-off completed

    Olin Corporation reported to the SEC that it completed the spin-off of its ordnance and aerospace businesses as Primex Technologies on December 31, 1996.

    Sources: Olin 1996 Form 10-K

  3. Separate Primex operations began

    Olin's filing says Primex officially began business as a separate entity on January 1, 1997, after the shareholder distribution of Primex common stock.

    Sources: Olin 1996 Form 10-K

  4. General Dynamics acquisition agreement announced

    General Dynamics and Primex announced a definitive agreement for General Dynamics to acquire Primex for $32.10 per share and assume about $170 million of Primex debt; the release described Primex as headquartered in St. Petersburg with 2,850 employees.

    Sources: General Dynamics Primex acquisition release

  5. Acquisition closed and renamed

    General Dynamics' 2001 annual report says it acquired Primex Technologies on January 26, 2001, renamed the business General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, and added medium- and large-caliber ammunition plus missile and precision-guided-munitions relationships.

    Sources: General Dynamics 2001 Annual Report

Predecessors
Olin OrdnanceAerojet Ordnance
Successors
General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems
Subsidiaries
Kaiser Marquardt
Website links
General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical SystemsGeneral Dynamics 2001 Annual Report exhibitForecast International CBU-87/B archived report

Primex Technologies was a historical U.S. manufacturer name active as a standalone public company from 1997 until General Dynamics acquired it in January 2001. Public sources sometimes describe earlier Olin Ordnance and Aerojet Ordnance activity under the later Primex ownership lineage, so system notes distinguish direct Primex-era reporting from predecessor and successor context.

Manufacturer Sources

  • Olin 1996 Form 10-KPublisher: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission | Note: Supports Olin's December 31, 1996 spin-off of its ordnance and aerospace businesses as Primex Technologies, the January 1, 1997 start of separate Primex operations, and the discontinued-operations treatment of the spun-off businesses. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Forecast International CBU-87/BPublisher: Forecast International | Note: Supports the Primex/Olin/Aerojet ordnance lineage, St. Petersburg headquarters context, CBU-87/B procurement and production reporting, BLU-97/B production lineage, and CBU-87/B/BLU-97/B technical context. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • General Dynamics Primex acquisition releasePublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Republishes the November 9, 2000 General Dynamics and Primex acquisition announcement, supporting Primex's St. Petersburg headquarters, 2,850-employee count, product areas, and acquisition terms. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • General Dynamics 2001 Annual ReportPublisher: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission | Note: Supports the January 26, 2001 General Dynamics acquisition of Primex, the cash and debt terms, the renamed General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems business, and the medium-/large-caliber ammunition, propellants, satellite propulsion, and electronics scope. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical SystemsPublisher: General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems | Note: Supports current successor-business context for General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems as a General Dynamics aerospace and defense company active in munitions, energetics, missile subsystems, and related defense products. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Primex Technologies acquires KaiserPublisher: TM Capital | Note: Supports Primex's defense and aerospace revenue base, core product areas, and the Kaiser Marquardt acquisition that strengthened Primex's rocket-propulsion position. | Accessed: 2026-07-11

Produced weapons

Category

Munitions

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

2/2
CBU-87 cluster munition, Air-delivered cluster munition, Munitions1990 Gulf War, 1999 Kosovo War / Operation Allied Force +2 moreCBU-87 cluster munitionAir-delivered cluster munitionBuilt in: United StatesThe CBU-87 cluster munition is a U.S. air-delivered Combined Effects Munition built around the SUU-65/B Tactical Munitions Dispenser and 202 BLU-97/B bomblets. It saw documented U.S. or NATO use in the 1990 Gulf War, Operation Allied Force, Afghanistan, and the 2003 Iraq War, while the related CBU-103/B added a Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser tail kit to the same CEM body.
BLU-97/B Combined Effects Bomblet, Cluster submunition, MunitionsBLU-97/B Combined Effects BombletCluster submunitionBuilt in: United StatesThe BLU-97/B Combined Effects Bomblet is a small U.S. aerial submunition built around anti-armor, fragmentation, and incendiary effects in one package. It is best documented as the payload inside CBU-87 and CBU-103 cluster munitions, the AGM-154A JSOW, and the retired TLAM-D Tomahawk dispenser variant; this support record keeps conflict use on directly sourced parent-munition pages rather than inferring independent BLU-97/B use.