ATK [ATK] and the King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB) yesterday said they have defined the baseline configuration of the medium AC-295 gunships for Jordan.
ATK recently delivered two lightweight gunships based on the Airbus CN-235 transport aircraft to Jordan and was selected to provide a similar gunship based on the larger C-295 aircraft.
The longer airframe and larger engines allow extended mission times and additional capabilities. New weapons added to the AC-295 will also be configured to work on the existing AC-235s for maximum mission flexibility.
Photo:
Airbus Group
“We are extending the Kingdom’s investment in the AC-235 through the addition of new weapons and mission systems onto the larger C-295 platform to provide additional capabilities, more firepower and flexibility for the defense of the Kingdom,” said KADDB Chairman Atef Tell.
Bill Kasting, vice president and general manager of ATK’s Defense Electronic Systems division, said: “The successful development, testing and delivery of the AC-235 gunships by the KADDB/ATK team led directly to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan announcing their intent to expand the gunship capability onto a larger aircraft platform.”
Mike Kahn, president of ATK’s Defense Group, said, “ATK’s goal with our aircraft weaponization program is to provide customers with the platform capabilities that serve their needs. Our expertise in precision weapons and gunship capabilities allows us to enhance the AC-295 while maintaining continuity with the existing AC-235s.”
Collaborating with KADDB, ATK developed and provided the system integration and aircraft modifications to turn Airbus CN-235 cargo planes into multi-mission gunships. That relationship and partnership between KADDB and ATK will continue on the larger C-295 platform.
The gunship capability package is part of ATK’s Special Mission Aircraft product portfolio, which provides affordable, innovative, battle-proven, responsive and advanced capabilities to customer-preferred platforms. ATK’s expertise includes outfitting various aircraft–including the Alenia C-27J, CASA CN-235/295, Lockheed Martin C-130, Bombardier Dash-8, Hawker Beechcraft King Air, Cessna Caravan and others–with integrated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and weapons employment capabilities.