Orbital Awarded $38 Million Contract By U.S. Navy for Coyote Sea-Skimming Target Vehicles.Order Represents Production Units 48 Through 61 Since Beginning of Program DULLES, Va. -- Orbital Sciences Corporation Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC, though commonly referred to as Orbital) is a Dulles, Virginia company which specializes in satellite launch and manufacture. Its Launch Systems Group is heavily involved with missile defense launch systems. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :ORB) was recently awarded a production contract for 13 Coyote supersonic sea-skimming target (SSST SSST Southeastern Symposium on System Theory SSST Supersonic Sea Skimming Target SSST Short Scottish Secure Tenancy (Scottish law) SSST Stealth Satellite System Terminator SSST Space Station Systems Trainer ) vehicles by the U.S. Navy, the company announced today. The latest order represents a new production contract for the Mach 2.5-capable, low-altitude target used by the Navy to test fleet self-defense systems against a threat-representative target. The total value of the contract is $37.9 million. The contract was awarded to Orbital by the Naval Air Systems Command The Naval Air Systems Command, or NAVAIR, is the part of the United States Navy which provides materiel support for naval aircraft and airborne weapon systems, such as guided missiles. NAVAIR was established in 1966 as the successor to the Navy's Bureau of Naval Weapons (BuWeps). (NAVAIR NAVAIR Naval Air Systems Command ), based at Patuxent River The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington D.C. Naval Air Station A Naval Air Station is an airbase of the United States Navy. Such bases are used to house Naval Aviation squadrons and support commands. List of Functioning US Naval Air Stations
Coyote Program Update Orbital was awarded an initial development contract in 2000 to meet the Navy's requirement for an affordable SSST system to simulate high-speed anti-ship cruise missiles for fleet training and weapon systems research, development, test and evaluation. Orbital and the Navy completed the development phase of the program with six successful test flights, the last of which took place in April 2005. Since that time, Orbital has received multiple orders from the Navy under low-rate initial production and full rate production contracts. Total orders for the program currently stand at 61 units (including the early development vehicles), of which 19 have either been launched or delivered to the customer. The Coyote target missile design integrates a four-inlet, solid-fuel ducted-rocket ramjet ramjet: see jet propulsion. ramjet Air-breathing jet engine that operates with no major moving parts. It relies on the craft's forward motion to draw in air and on a specially shaped intake passage to compress the air for combustion. propulsion system Noun 1. propulsion system - a system that provides a propelling or driving force system - instrumentality that combines interrelated interacting artifacts designed to work as a coherent entity; "he bought a new stereo system"; "the system consists of a motor and a into a compact missile airframe 18 feet long and 14 inches in diameter. Ramjet supersonic takeover speed is achieved using a decommissioned Navy MK 70 solid rocket motor for the first stage. Rail-launched from Navy test and training ranges, the highly maneuverable Coyote achieves cruise speeds of over Mach 2.5 following the separation of the MK 70 first-stage booster. The range of the target vehicle system is approximately 50 nautical miles at altitudes of less than 20 feet above the sea surface. Orbital is developing and manufacturing the Coyote vehicles at its launch vehicle engineering and production facility in Chandler, Arizona Chandler is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA. Chandler is one of the major suburbs of Phoenix. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 176,582. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 234,939. . Orbital's major subcontractors include Aerojet Corporation in Gainesville, Virginia and Sacramento, California, for the solid-fuel ducted-rocket motor, and CEi, Inc. in Sacramento, California, for the vehicle's avionics system. About Orbital Orbital develops and manufactures small space and rocket systems for commercial, military and civil government customers. The company's primary products are satellites and launch vehicles, including low-orbit, geosynchronous-orbit and planetary spacecraft for communications, remote sensing, scientific and defense missions; ground- and air-launched rockets that deliver satellites into orbit; and missile defense systems that are used as interceptor and target vehicles. Orbital also offers space-related technical services to government agencies and develops and builds satellite-based transportation management systems for public transit agencies and private vehicle fleet operators. More information about Orbital can be found at http://www.orbital.com |
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