Alliant Aids Delta IV Rocket Launch - Analyst Blog

Alliant Techsystems Inc. ATK continues to provide assistance to the United States Air Force for its different missions. The company has delivered various components for the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV rocket as well as the on-orbit operation of a new Boeing Global Positioning System GPS IIF satellite.

Alliant's Aerospace Group was in charge of the delivery. The company rolled out the products from its various facilities, including Magna and Promontory in UT, Goleta, San Diego and Rancho Bernardo in CA, and several other places.

The satellite will offer improved accuracy, signal strength and quality to the U.S. armed forces, its allies and the civilians.

For the Delta IV rocket, Alliant provided numerous services, including commercial GEM-60 solid rocket motors and the nozzle for the launch vehicle's RS-68 engine.

Alliant also delivered various products for the GPS IIF satellite including the satellite solar arrays, the composite solar array substrates, and heat pipes for the GPS IIF equipment and radiator panels. In addition, the company executed final assembly and radio frequency testing of the antenna suite.

Alliant has manufactured the thermal protection material, which is able to protect the nozzle from the extreme heat of launch. The Delta IV composite structures will offer superior performance with lesser weight.

ULA is jointly owned by The Boeing Company BA and Lockheed Martin Corporation LMT. It offers affordable, consistent, and assured access to space for U.S. government missions. ULA has three launch vehicles – Atlas V, Delta IV and Delta II.

Alliant has a strong business alliance with The Boeing and Lockheed Martin, and is continuously providing a range of products and services for their ULA mission. On Apr 16, 2014, the company received a contract, worth $178 million, from the ULA. Per the agreement, the company will provide multiple composite structures to ULA, with a diameter of 13 -18 feet and lengths up to 63 feet. The product portfolio includes fairings, interstages, nose cones, and payload adapters and diaphragms.

The standard of the components and services enables Alliant to become a trusted partner for these important defense programs. This factor will help Alliant to win more contracts in the future, thereby improving revenues.

Alliant currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). However, a better-ranked stock in the aerospace and defense equipment industry is Curtiss-Wright Corporation CW, carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

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