General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GD-OTS) has received two US Army contracts, totalling $170m, for its Hydra-70 Rocket programme.
The contracts require the company to produce the 2.75in Hydra-70 air-to-ground rocket system for US military services and foreign military sales customers.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The news come after the army exercised an option from a supplies contract awarded to General Dynamics in 2014.
Equipped with multi-mission capabilities, the lightweight weapon system is designed to provide the army with affordable firepower for effective engagements.
The rocket system contains three components, including the MK66 MOD 4 rocket motor, one of nine warheads, and a point-detonating, omni-directional, remote-set fuse.
Available in unitary or cargo configurations, the warheads are low-cost munitions capable of area suppression and defeating threats at extended ranges, as well as providing battlefield obscuration, illumination and marking.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataThe rockets can be mounted on most rotary and fixed-wing aircraft, such as the Apache, Cobra and F-16.
Work on the Hydra-70 rocket system programme will be carried out at the company's US facilities, and is expected to be completed by 2020.
GD-OTS has been producing Hydra-70 rockets since 1996.
To date, the company has produced more than four million rockets to support the army’s joint attack munition systems project office.
Image: Hydra 70 rockets in a M261 launch pod on an AH-64 Apache. Photo: courtesy of Dammit.
