Free Republic

Alliant Techsystems, an aerospace and defense firm commonly known as ATK, will team up with FN Manufacturing LLC on a $54.5 million contract from the U.S. Army to produce Mk19 Mod-3 grenade machine guns. Minneapolis-based ATK (NYSE: ATK) will perform barrel manufacture, gun assembly and test operations at the Mesa ordnance facility it acquired from Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) six years ago. FN Manufacturing will provide gun sub-assemblies. The Mk19 will be the first crew-served weapon produced by ATK, which currently manufactures 25mm through 40mm variants of its Bushmaster cannons that serve as the primary guns on Bradley fighting vehicles...

MOSUL, Iraq - For a while, Capt. A.J. Newtson considered removing the slat armor cages from his company's Stryker infantry carriers. The big steel cages make it tough to maneuver the vehicles through some of Mosul's narrow streets. Then two of his trucks got hit by rocket-propelled grenades. "We're going to keep it," said Newtson, commander of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment's Charger Company. The cages, so far, are working as advertised. Strykers have come through four RPG hits with no major damage. One soldier was injured - a small shrapnel cut on his face. Soldiers on board say...