Northrop and Raytheon team selects Alliant for contract

The Northrop Grumman Corp. and Raytheon Co. team for the Kinetic Energy Interceptor program has selected Alliant Techsystems' Utah manufacturing site to provide the solid-propellant manufacturing process for the KEI Stage 1 motor.

KEI is a mobile, land-based missile-defense system.

Raytheon, which leads the interceptor development, and its subcontractor, ATK, conducted a survey of ATK's solid-rocket motor operations and jointly selected the ATK Thiokol facility in Magna.

In addition to a work force that's experienced in building large motors similar in size to the KEI Stage 1, the companies said in a release, ATK Thiokol offers a solid-propellant loading facility that has successfully loaded propellant in more than 2,000 motors with similar features to KEI Stage 1.