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.
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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.
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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.
