BAE Programs Ordnance Programs Inc., Radford, Virginia, was awarded an $81,089,341 modification (000828) to contract for MK 90 propellant grain. The MK 90 propellant grain is the propulsion part of the Hydra 70 household of rockets utilized by the U.S. navy and a number of other allied nations to assist abroad operations. Within the U.S. Military, Hydra 70 rockets are fired from the AH-64A Apache and AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters utilizing M261 19-tube rocket launchers. Work areas and funding shall be decided with every order, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 30, 2022. U.S. Military Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting exercise.
The MK 90 propellant grain is manufactured on the Radford Military Ammunition Plant in southwestern Virginia, the place BAE Programs has been serving because the managing operator since 2012. The power is a number one producer of military-grade propellants and is at present the first provider of solventless propellants. The manufacturing course of for the MK 90 grain includes greater than 300 folks in 5 manufacturing areas on the plant. BAE Programs started producing MK 90 propellant grains in October 2012, with the primary supply occurring in August 2013. To this point, roughly 500,000-grain models have been delivered to the U.S. Division of Protection.
Commercial
The Hydra 70 rocket is a 2.75-inch (70 mm) diameter fin-stabilized unguided rocket used primarily within the air-to-ground function. It may be outfitted with quite a lot of warheads, and in newer variations, steerage techniques for level assaults. The Hydra 70 is derived from the two.75-inch (70 mm) diameter Mk 4/Mk 40 Folding-Fin Aerial Rocket developed by america Navy to be used as a free-flight aerial rocket within the late Nineteen Forties. The Mk 40 was used throughout the Korean and Vietnam wars to offer shut air assist to floor forces from about 20 totally different firing platforms, each fixed-wing and armed helicopters.
The household of Hydra 70 (70 mm) 2.75-inch rockets carry out quite a lot of capabilities. The conflict reserve unitary and cargo warheads are used for anti-materiel, anti-personnel, and suppression missions. The Hydra 70 household of folding-fin aerial rockets additionally consists of smoke screening, illumination, and coaching warheads. Hydra 70 rockets are identified primarily by both their warhead kind or by the rocket motor designation, Mk 66 in US navy service. The AGR-20 Superior Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) is a design conversion of Hydra 70 unguided rockets with a laser steerage equipment to show them into precision-guided munitions (PGMs).
