appears to have a close connection with its subject . it may require cleanup to comply with wikipedia s content policies particularly neutral point of view . please discuss further on the talk page . april 2016 learn how and when to remove this template message alliant techsystems inc. former type public company traded as nyse atk industry aerospace defense and sporting successors orbital atk vista outdoor founded 1990 spun off from honeywell defunct february 9 2015 2015 02 09 headquarters arlington virginia u.s. key people mark deyoung president and ceo products small medium and large caliber military ammunition ; sporting ammunition accessories and firearms ; m855a1 enhanced performance round ; medium caliber gun systems ; missile warning systems ; tactical rocket motors ; xm25 ; precision guidance kit ; aargm ; aar 47 ; special mission aircraft ; solid rocket propulsion ; gem 60 rocket motors ; satellite components ; lightweight space deployables and solar arrays ; flares and decoys ; aerospace structures ; facility management and modernization revenue us 4.78 billion fy 2014 operating income us 590 million fy 2014 net income us 340 million fy 2014 total assets us 5.77 billion fy 2014 total equity us 1.91 billion fy 2014 number of employees 16 000 1 website www.atk.com alliant techsystems inc. atk was an american aerospace defense and sporting goods company with its headquarters in arlington county virginia in the united states . the company operated in 22 states puerto rico and other countries . atk s revenue in the 2014 fiscal year was about us 4.78 billion . on april 29 2014 atk announced that it would spin off its sporting group and merge its aerospace and defense groups with orbital sciences corporation . 2 the spinoff of the sporting group to create vista outdoor and the merger leading to the creation of orbital atk were completed on february 9 2015 ; both companies began operations as separate entities on february 20 2015 . 3 4 contents 1 history 2 mergers and acquisitions 3 groups 3.1 atk aerospace 3.1.1 airbus a350 xwb 1000 3.1.2 boeing 787 dreamliner 3.1.3 orion multi purpose crew vehicle 3.1.4 james webb space telescope 3.1.5 delta ii 3.1.6 delta iv 3.1.7 orbiting carbon observatory 2 3.1.8 insight 3.1.9 atlas v 3.1.10 graphite epoxy motors 3.2 atk defense 3.2.1 lake city army ammunition plant 3.2.2 agm 88e advanced anti radiation guided missile 3.2.3 an aar 47 missile approach warning system 3.2.4 precision guidance kit 3.2.5 bushmaster autocannons 3.3 atk sporting 4 see also 5 references 6 external links history edit atk was launched as an independent company in 1990 when honeywell spun off its defense businesses to shareholders . the former honeywell businesses had supplied defense products and systems to the u.s. and its allies for 50 years including the first electronic autopilot for b 17 aircraft s bombing missions during world war ii . 5 mergers and acquisitions edit in 1995 atk entered the aerospace market with the acquisition of the aerospace division of hercules inc. since then atk has become a supplier of aerospace and defense products to the u.s. government and its allies and to their contractors . in 2001 atk acquired thiokol renaming it atk launch systems in 2006 though it is still known within the industry by its original name . thiokol was the sole manufacturer of the reusable solid rocket motor used to launch the nasa space shuttle which is being adapted for nasa s space launch system . also in 2001 atk entered the sporting and law enforcement ammunition market with the acquisition of the ammunition businesses of blount international . this acquisition made atk the nation s largest manufacturer of ammunition . in 2009 atk acquired eagle industries and in 2010 atk acquired blackhawk industries products group unlimited llc diversifying into the security and law enforcement market . on 29 april 2014 atk announced that its board unanimously approved a plan to create two independent public companies composed of atk s current businesses and orbital sciences corporation . atk is spinning off its sporting group to atk shareholders on a tax free basis . the spinoff will be immediately followed by an all stock merger of atk s aerospace and defense groups with orbital sciences ; orbital shareholders will receive atk common stock as consideration . the combined company will be named orbital atk inc. 6 on october 28 2014 atk announced that it would be seeking approval of issuance of shares to orbital stockholders on december 9 . 7 atk responded to news of the explosion of a rocket built by orbital in an earnings call . atk stated it would conduct a thorough evaluation of any potential implications resulting from the incident including current operating plans long term strategies and the proposed transaction . atk also said that it was taking a careful look at its castor 30xl motor which is used in the second stage of orbital s antares rocket . atk further noted that the explosion occurred before ignition of the second stage . 8 on november 17 2014 atk stated that its due diligence assessment of its merger with orbital sciences undertaken in response to the failure of orbital s antares rocket found that the transaction remained in the best interest of its shareholders . both firms rescheduled shareholder votes on the merger from december 9 2014 to january 27 2015 . 9 groups edit atk aerospace edit a display of atk rockets atk s aerospace group covered space defense and commercial aerospace products and capabilities . the group offered propulsion for space exploration commercial launch vehicles and strategic and missile defense . atk aerospace was headquartered in magna utah . 10 it also specialized in composite structures for military and commercial aircraft rolls royce trent xwb 97 engine lockheed martin f 35 lightning ii also known as the joint strike fighter integrated satellite systems satellite components and subsystems military flares and decoys space engineering services propulsion for space exploration commercial launch vehicles strategic and missile defines alv x 1 sounding rocket in november 2010 atk was selected by nasa for potential contracts in heavy lift launch vehicle systems and other propulsion technologies . in 2012 nasa awarded the company a 50 million contract to complete engineering development and risk reduction tests as part of the advanced concept booster development for the space launch system sls . in april 2014 atk received a contract from the united launch alliance worth 178 million to produce composite structures for the united states air force s evolved expendable launch vehicle program . atk will deliver parts for the atlas v and delta iv starting in 2014 and continuing into early 2018 . there is an option for additional deliveries in 2017 and 2018 . atk will provide fairings payload adapters and diaphragms interstages nose cones and thermal aerodynamic protection components . all the structures will be produced at atk s large structures center of excellence in iuka mississippi . 11 atk produces avionics for nasa s space launch system program . the space launch system is designed for deep space operations including missions to mars . 12 after atk finishes testing avionics will be delivered to nasa s marshall space flight center . the first launch is expected in 2017 . 13 airbus a350 xwb 1000 edit main article airbus a350 xwb atk produces composite stringers and frames for the airbus a350 xwb 1000 variant at its facility in clearfield utah . as of 2014 atk has delivered more than 10 000 components to airbus . 14 boeing 787 dreamliner edit main article boeing 787 dreamliner atk participated in a consortium to develop a new engine nozzle for the boeing 787 designed to make its operation more environmentally friendly . the nozzle was made from oxide oxide ceramic matrix composite cmc . boeing s tests show that the nozzle is more heat resistant than previous models and lighter allowing for potential gains in fuel efficiency . this was the largest part ever made from cmc . 15 orion multi purpose crew vehicle edit main article orion spacecraft the orion multi purpose crew vehicle is a spacecraft intended to carry a crew of up to four astronauts to destinations beyond low earth orbit . currently under development by nasa 16 for launch on the space launch system 17 orion will facilitate human exploration of the moon asteroids and mars . atk developed the launch abort motor that sits on top of the orion capsule . this device would pull the capsule and its crew up and away from the rocket in the event of major fault on the launch pad or during ascent . atk also developed numerous composite parts that provide heat protection for orion . 18 james webb space telescope edit main article james webb space telescope 3 4 view of jwst from the top opposite side from the sun atk worked with northrop grumman to produce the backplane support frame bsf for the james webb space telescope . the bsf center section and wings form what is called the primary mirror backplane support system pmbss . the bsf is the primary load bearing structure during launch and the pmbss holds the telescope s main instruments including its mirrors . the bsf was designed and manufactured at atk s facilities in magna utah . atk designed and fabricated more than 10 000 parts for the pmbss . pmbss is made primarily of lightweight graphite but numerous other materials including invar titanium and other composite materials were used . 19 delta ii edit main article delta ii clouds of smoke around the 323rd delta rocket on launch pad 17b atk produces graphite epoxy motors gem and largest composite fairings for the delta ii rocket as a subcontractor for the united launch alliance . as of june 2014 atk has produced 987 solid rocket boosters for delta ii missions . these strap on boosters known as gem 40s add 434 000 pounds to the delta ii s maximum thrust . the gem 40s can be used in groups of three four and nine depending on the weight of the payload . the composite structures supplied by atk increase performance by reducing weight . in addition to composite booster cases for the gem 40s atk produces a 10 foot wide composite payload fairing that covers and protects satellites during launch . atk also produces the titanium diaphragm propellant tanks and pressurant tank for each delta ii vehicle . 20 delta iv edit main article delta iv atk produces graphite epoxy motors and numerous other components for the delta iv rocket . for example for the delta iv that carried the wideband global satcom satellite wgs 6 into orbit for the u.s. air force atk supplied the interstage connector that linked the common booster core and the cryogenic second stage a centerbody that connects the liquid oxygen tank to liquid hydrogen tanks a thermal shield for the rs 68 engine the composite payload fairing and numerous pieces of hardware for securing the payload . 21 orbiting carbon observatory 2 edit main article orbiting carbon observatory 2 the orbiting carbon observatory 2 oco 2 is an american environmental science satellite . the spacecraft is used to study carbon dioxide concentrations and distributions in the atmosphere . 22 atk produced the oco 2 s variable conductance heat pipes an important part of its thermal control system solar arrays and solar array substrates . 20 insight edit main article insight insight is a robotic lander mission to mars planned for launch in march 2016 . 23 the mission s objective is to place a stationary lander equipped with a seismometer and heat flow probe on the surface of mars to study its early geological evolution . this would bring new understanding of the solar system s terrestrial planets . atk was awarded a contract to provide its ultraflex solar arrays for the mission . atk claims that ultraflex will