ATK, DARPA and ONR Achieve First-Ever Flight Test of a Scramjet Powered by Liquid Hydrocarbon Fuel

MINNEAPOLIS, Dec. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alliant Techsystems
(NYSE: ATK), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the
Office of Naval Research (ONR) successfully ground-launched and flew a
hypersonic scramjet-powered vehicle from the Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops
Island, VA in a pre-dawn launch on Saturday Dec. 10th. This was the first-
ever freeflight of a scramjet-powered vehicle using conventional liquid
hydrocarbon jet fuel. The launch and flight test were part of the Freeflight
Atmospheric Scramjet Test Technique (FASTT) program sponsored by DARPA and
ONR.

As the system integrator, ATK designed and built the FASTT vehicle. This
was the first time the company had complete design authority over the
hypersonic scramjet propulsion system and the airframe. In addition, ATK
served as the mission manager for both the launch and the flight of the test
vehicle including development of test plans and coordination of all design and
mission readiness reviews.

ATK previously built the hydrogen-fueled X-43A Scramjet, the world-record
holder for powered flight which obtained a top speed of nearly Mach 10 in a
November 2004 flight test. "The successful FASTT flight test and ATK's
record-setting X-43A flight-tests clearly position ATK as a world-leader in
the development and test of hypersonic propulsion systems and airframes," said
Blake Larson, President ATK Advanced Propulsion and Space Systems. "One goal
of ATK's hypersonic flight program is to develop advanced hypersonic weaponry
and this flight test is a significant step in that direction," said Larson.

The FASTT vehicle was approximately 106" long and 11" in diameter. It
integrated a Scramjet engine into a missile configuration. After separating
from its booster rocket at more than 60,000 feet, the Scramjet engine ignited
and propelled the vehicle at approximately 5,300 feet per second -- or
Mach 5.5. Using JP-10 fuel, the Scramjet flew for at least 15 seconds while
critical engineering data was captured via on-board sensors and tracking
radars. The vehicle continued in stable flight mode until it splashed down in
the Atlantic Ocean.

The ground-launched flight test demonstrated a viable and cost-effective
flight-test method for future hypersonic Scramjet initiatives.

In addition to the FASTT program, ATK's Boost-to-Cruise initiative is
developing hypersonic missile technologies capable of sustained flight at
Mach 5 and delivering payloads on target more than 600 nautical miles down
range.