ATK to Open 615,000 sq ft Aircraft Commercial Center of Excellence Facility

PARIS, June 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Paris Air Show -- ATK (NYSE: ATK) is nearing completion of its state of the art Aircraft Commercial Center of Excellence (ACCE) in Clearfield, Utah. The new facility will serve as the headquarters for ATK Aerospace Structures' commercial aircraft programs and will support the manufacturing of commercial airframes and engine components for the Airbus A350, and General Electric and Rolls-Royce engine programs.

The new consolidated manufacturing center boasts 615,000 square feet and will increase capability and capacity by creating a full spectrum engineering and manufacturing center for commercial composite aircraft structures and components.  The facility has been designed to meet the robust demands of the commercial aircraft marketplace with the capability of manufacturing more than 10,000 parts per month at rate production levels.

"Our aircraft composite business has grown substantially over the last several years and this new facility will take us to the next level," said Blake Larson, president of ATK Aerospace Systems Group. "The ACCE facility will increase our capacity dramatically and enable us to grow our roles in commercial aircraft for both domestic and international markets."

"This commercial aircraft facility is the foundation of ATK's commitment to meeting the accelerating global demand of composites on commercial aircraft," said Joy de Lisser, Vice President and General Manager of ATK Aerospace Structures Division. "Locating the ACCE in Utah provided us the opportunity to co-locate our design, engineering and technical talent with our existing facilities.  Utah has provided an excellent business environment."  

The state-of-the-art facility will feature patented automated stiffener forming technology for both linear and radial airframe structures capable of producing 40,000 meters, or 25 miles of composite structures per month, large diameter autoclaves capable of curing parts in excess of 22 meters in length, engine case wrap capability and assembly, CNC machining, water jet capability, and automated ultrasonic and non-destructive inspection systems.  

Final construction activities will wrap up in July, 2011.  ATK will hold a grand opening in August to celebrate this continued expansion into commercial aircraft for domestic and international markets.  

ATK is an aerospace, defense, and commercial products company with operations in 24 states, Puerto Rico, and internationally, and revenues of approximately $4.8 billion.  News and information can be found on the Internet at www.atk.com.

Forward-Looking Statement: Certain information discussed in this press release constitutes forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  Although ATK believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved.  Forward-looking information is subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Among those factors are: changes in governmental spending, budgetary policies and product sourcing strategies; the company's competitive environment; the terms and timing of awards and contracts; and economic conditions.  ATK undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. For further information on factors that could impact ATK, and statements contained herein, please refer to ATK's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE ATK