Aerojet Technology Chosen to Replace Dual-Purpose Conventional Munition Submunitions

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Aerojet, a GenCorp company, has been selected from a varied field of competitors for its solution to eliminate submunitions for the U.S. Army's Guided Multiple Launched Rocket System Alternate Warhead Program (GMLRS AWP). The award is one of three technologies chosen to move forward into the technology demonstration program.

The GMLRS AWP program will ultimately field a new warhead replacing the submunitions in the GMLRS Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munition (DPICM) warhead. The U.S. and other governments have agreed to ban these submunition warheads which may leave dangerous unexploded ordnance.

This effort is a 17-month demonstration program designed to evaluate three technologies that will be integrated and tested to determine the lowest-risk and the most-effective warhead that will replace the DPICM system and eliminate unexploded ordnance.

Aerojet's technology is based on a partnership between three of its sites. The program management, design and engineering analysis was performed at the company's Sacramento, Calif., corporate headquarters. Aerojet Ordnance Tennessee contributed advanced materials and component technologies and Aerojet's modern, low-cost; load assembly and pack facility in Camden, Ark., will do the explosive casting and assembly.

Vice President of Defense Programs, Dick Bregard, said, "Selection of Aerojet's solution for the AWP program is a clear indication that our engineering design and development component is meeting our customers' standards of excellence. Aerojet has invested significant time and effort in the advancement of new and innovative technologies for use in making existing systems more lethal across the spectrum of engagement scenarios."

Vice President of Business Development, Rick Yezzi, agreed. "This selection validates the company's investment in new warhead designs. Aerojet holds a strong position in building existing production designs of complex missile warheads and now we are being recognized for our technical expertise for new multi-purpose designs. Aerojet is also pleased to be at the forefront of developing systems that completely eliminate unexploded ordnance," he said.

Aerojet is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader principally serving the missile and space propulsion, defense and armaments markets. GenCorp is a leading technology-based manufacturer of aerospace and defense products and systems with a real estate segment that includes activities related to the entitlement, sale, and leasing of the company's excess real estate assets. Additional information about Aerojet and GenCorp can be obtained by visiting the companies' Web sites at http://www.aerojet.com/ and http://www.gencorp.com/.

Aerojet

CONTACT: Glenn Mahone, [phone], [e-mail], or
Kristin Conner, [phone], [e-mail], both of Aerojet

Web Site: http://www.aerojet.com/
http://www.gencorp.com/

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