Alliant Techsystems
1990
Arlington, Virginia
- 1990 Honeywell spun off its defense businesses to shareholders
- 1995 purchased Hercules Inc
- 2001 acquisition of Blount International
– sporting and law enforcement ammunition - 2001 operates the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant (LCAAP)
- 2009 acquired Eagle Industries
- 2010 acquired Blackhawk Industries
- 2012 selected by the United States Army to continue operating and maintaining the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant (LCAAP) for seven to ten years
- 2014 renovated ammunition production facility at the LCAAP
– invested $11 million to modernize production of 20 millimeter ammo - 2015 Vista Outdoor spinoff of the Sporting Group companies
– and ATK’s Aerospace Group – Orbital Sciences
– headquartered in Utah
About Alliant Techsystems (ATK)
Alliant Techsystems, known as ATK, was an American aerospace, defense and sporting ammunition company headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It became independent in 1990 when Honeywell spun off its defense businesses to shareholders. ATK grew through a long series of acquisitions, starting with Hercules Aerospace in 1995, then Thiokol and the ammunition businesses of Blount International in 2001. The Blount deal brought major sporting and law enforcement ammunition lines into the company, and ATK later added Eagle Industries in 2009 and Blackhawk Industries in 2010. In April 2001 ATK also took over operation of the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence, Missouri, the government-owned plant built in 1941 that produces much of the small arms ammunition used by the U.S. military.
For gun owners, ATK’s legacy lives on in the brands it assembled. On April 29, 2014 the company announced it would split in two, and on February 9, 2015 its Sporting Group became the separate public company Vista Outdoor, home to ammunition, optics and accessory brands, while its aerospace and defense businesses merged with Orbital Sciences to form Orbital ATK. Northrop Grumman acquired Orbital ATK in June 2018. The ATK name no longer exists as an independent company in 2026.
Key Facts
- 1990: Honeywell spins off its defense businesses as Alliant Techsystems
- 1995: acquires Hercules Aerospace
- April 2001: begins operating the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant
- 2001: acquires Thiokol and the ammunition businesses of Blount International
- 2009 and 2010: acquires Eagle Industries and Blackhawk Industries
- February 9, 2015: split completed into Vista Outdoor and Orbital ATK
- June 2018: Northrop Grumman acquires Orbital ATK
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