ARLINGTON, Va., June 14 (UPI) -- A new roll-on/roll-off gun system pallet for multirole military aircraft has successfully completed a series of ground and flight tests in the United States.
ATK's modular pallet -- using the company's GAU-23 30mm cannon in a side-firing configuration -- had been installed on a C-27J Spartan airlifter of Italy's Alenia Aermacchi.
The tests were conducted at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida and included live-fire evaluations and timed demonstrations of converting the aircraft from a cargo transport configuration to a weaponized configuration.
"The performance and functionality of the gunship pallet in this first round of testing met all of our objectives, and we are now ready to move on to Phase 2 of development and testing," said Bill Kasting, vice president and general manager for ATK Defense Electronic Systems. "Our modular Roll-on/Roll-off mission and weapons systems, coupled with the proven capability of the C-27J, provide customers with an adaptable, agile and affordable multimission solution."
Added Ben Stone, president and chief executive officer of Alenia Aermacchi North America: "The introduction of the ATK palletized system is a perfect fit for the C-27J. "It combines the aircraft's inherent mission capability with ATK's proven ability to develop cost-effective integration solutions."
The companies said the next phase of testing will further advance the technology readiness level of integrated system.
