Orbital ATK reports new orders for Bushmaster guns

Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Orbital ATK won about $600 million in international orders in the past three months for its medium-caliber cannons and related munitions, the company announced.

The orders from multiple customers were primarily for MK44 and M230 link-fed Bushmaster Chain Guns.

"Our cannons are easily integrated onto a variety of land, air and sea combat applications," said Dan Olson, vice president and general manager for the Armament Systems Division of Orbital ATK's Defense Systems Group. "Our delivery of these products reflects our core mission to work together with our integrator partners as well as our allies to create and deliver superior armaments and services for those who defend their nation's security."

The MK44 cannon uses Orbital ATK's 30mm MK310 Programmable Air Bursting Munitions as well as the company's 30mm x 173mm ammunition for precise point-in-space burst to defeat enemy targets.

The 30mm PABM offers air burst, point detonate, and delay fuze settings, to provide lethal suppressive fire through its air-burst function or to penetrate light armor vehicles or reinforced concrete walls.

The MK44 is also upgradeable to a 40mm configuration that offers greater stand-off range and increased firepower.

The company's M230LF is a link-fed version of the Apache attack helicopter's gun and fires 30mm x 113mm ammunition, including High Explosive Dual Purpose (HEDP) and ballistically-matched training rounds.

The HEDP round provides armor defeat capability with a 2,000-yard range, with other target defeat rounds out to 4,000 yards. The weapon is easily integrated into a variety of light tactical vehicles and weapons stations for both remote and manned operation.