EDINA, Minn., 19 March 2008. Engineers at Alliant TechSystems Inc. (ATK) in Edina, Minn., needed global positioning system (GPS) receivers for the Precision Guidance Kit (PGK) program that ATK supervises for the U.S. Army. They found their solution from L-3 Interstate Electronics Corp. (IEC) in Anaheim, Calif.
IEC is providing its TruTrak Evolution GPS receiver (TTE) to ATK as a key component for the PGK program. L-3's TTE receiver is a gun-hardened, miniaturized GPS receiver designed for the fuze well of munitions to provide positioning data for the guidance system.
The PGK program enables the Army to outfit high-explosive artillery rounds with precision guidance capability to improve accuracy at low cost. The PGK design combines a proprietary aerodynamic steering technique with a small system so as to fit the guidance system into the space in the artillery round traditionally set aside for only the fuze subsystem.
ATK chose IEC for technical design and performance advantages of IEC's TTE receiver coupled with the ability to meet cost targets, IEC officials say.
The PGK has undergone a flight test at the Yuma Proving Grounds in Yuma, Arizona. The round maintained aerodynamic stability throughout its flight and demonstrated an in-flight divert capability. The requirements for Increment 1 are for the PGK to miss its targets by no more than 50 meters (164 feet).
The PGK program includes a development phase and three initial production runs totaling a minimum of 23,000 systems, with upwards of 45,000 units in this first increment, IEC officials say.
For more information contact ATK online at www.atk.com or IEC at www.iechome.com.
