US Army Awards General Dynamics Orders to Produce Hydra-70 Rockets and Warheads

Released on Thursday, October 09, 2008

CHARLOTTE, N.C. � The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command has awarded General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products two new orders to produce Hydra-70 rockets and warheads. The combined value of the orders is approximately $85 million; deliveries will begin in May 2010. The orders were awarded under a five-year contract signed in 2005 that has a total potential value of more than $900 million if all options are exercised. General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products is a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).

System engineering and program management will be performed at General Dynamics' Burlington Technology Center in Vermont. Final assembly and component sub-assembly will occur at the company's Camden, Ark., facility.

"We take pride in the range of capabilities delivered by this lightweight and affordable weapon," said Russ Klein, vice president and general manager of weapon systems for General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products. "Over the past 12 years, our Camden, Ark., workforce has produced more than 2 million reliable and effective rockets for U.S. warfighters."

Hydra-70 is a family of unguided rockets offering several warhead configurations that enable an aircrew to match the rocket to the specific mission. Rockets can be fired from a variety of rotary and fixed-wing aircraft, including the U.S. Army Apache and U.S. Marine Corps Cobra attack helicopters, the U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon and combat aircraft of many nations worldwide.