Aerojet Rocketdyne Propulsion Supports NATO’s “Formidable Shield” Missile Defense Test

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 17, 2017 -- Aerojet Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AJRD), announced today that its propulsion systems for Raytheon’s Standard Missile-3 Block IB (SM-3 IB) guided missile supported a NATO-led multinational naval operation off the northwest Scottish coast.

Formidable Shield 2017, a live-fire exercise supported by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency and U.S. Navy, which started Sept. 24 and ran through Oct. 17, included 14 ships, 10 aircraft and approximately 3,300 personnel from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

During one of four planned events scheduled throughout the complex exercise, the SM-3 IB guided missile was launched from a U.S. destroyer to intercept a ballistic missile target. Aerojet Rocketdyne’s MK-72 booster and MK-104 dual-thrust rocket motor provided first- and second-stage propulsion for the SM-3 IB guided missile, and the company’s Throttling Divert and Attitude Control System precisely maneuvered the kinetic warhead to successfully impact the target.

“An integrated air and missile defense exercise the magnitude of ‘Formidable Shield’ demands the best-of-the-best in terms of the systems utilized to test our Allied Forces’ ability to respond to real threats,” said Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Eileen Drake. “Aerojet Rocketdyne employees across the nation work hard every day to ensure that we provide our warfighters with superior capabilities, and our role in this intense international test underscores trust and confidence in our products.”

Aerojet Rocketdyne is an innovative company delivering solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defense markets. The company is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne can be obtained by visiting our websites at www.Rocket.com and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com.

Lynn Machon, Aerojet Rocketdyne, 916-355-3587
[email protected]