ATK has received a contract for production and delivery of the DSU-33D/B proximity sensor, which enables accurate in-air detonation of warheads above their targets, to the US Air Force (USAF).
Awarded by the US Army’s Contracting Center at Rock Island, Ill, the contract has an initial value of $22.8m, and also includes provisions for four optional order periods, which can bring the total value to $84m.
An all-weather, active, radio-frequency, ranging radar, the DSU-33D/B sensor is used along with FMU-139 and FMU-152 fuzes to detonate the weapon at a fixed height above surface targets, which maximises the warhead’s blast and fragmentation effects.
ATK Missile Products division vice-president and general manager Cary Ralston said the DSU-33 sensor is a force multiplier for US air power, and increases effectiveness of its weaponry.
"We look forward to partnering with our Army and Air Force customers to deliver the highest quality product, and provide this essential capability to the US Armed Forces," Ralston said.
Commenting on the sensor, ATK Defense Group president Mike Kahn said, "It is a great example of how ATK provides technologically advanced product accuracy, reliability and overall effectiveness."
Equipped with advanced electronics technology, solid-state circuit design and highly reliable parts, the battery-operated sensor provides proximity sensor functionality for aerial munitions utilising general-purpose, blast-fragmentation warheads, including the MK80 series and joint direct attack munitions (JDAMs) featuring such warheads.
The single-mission device is capable of operating even in an electronic countermeasure environment (ECM) and both high-drag and low-drag releases from the aircraft.
More than 154,000 DSU-33 sensors have been delivered by the company to USAF and the US Navy, since production started in 1999.
Manufacturing work under the contract is scheduled to be carried out at the Allegany Ballistics Laboratory (ABL) facility, located in Rocket Center, West Virginia, US, while deliveries will start in 2015.
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Image: The DSU-33D/B sensor provides proximity sensor functionality for joint direct attack munitions. Photo: courtesy of photographer’s Mate Second Class Felix Garza Jr.
