Marshall industry awarded military contract

Thursday, Dec 11, 2008

A Marshall industry will benefit from an $87 million contract to supply ammunition for Afghan National Security Forces. MECAR USA, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Allied Defense Group, will receive orders, potentially in excess of $37 million, as a subcontractor to Alliant Techsystems. The $87 million contract was awarded by the U.S. Army Sustainment Command in Rock Island, Ill., to ATK.

""Well be supporting ATK with the supply of non-standard ammunition to Afghanistan in support of the war effort there,"" said Steve Dart, president of the Marshall-based MECAR. As subcontractor, MECAR USA will be responsible for the delivery of various types of non-standard ammunition manufactured throughout the world.

""Were very excited with the news and the whole MECAR USA team has been working incredibly hard on this opportunity for the last year,"" Dart said. ""This is just one of the fruits of our labors.""

In a prepared statement, Maj. Gen. (Ret.) John J. Marcello, president and CEO of ADG, said, ""I am pleased to announce that MECAR USA teamed with ATK has won this important contract. We believe that, in conjunction with ATK, we have developed a compelling value proposition for the U.S. Army.

""This substantial new ammunition services contract continues to expand our customer base,"" he continued. ""Traditionally, we have enjoyed a very loyal client base and it is worth noting that this base continues to grow and expand. ADGs funded backlog now exceeds $186 million and will support our operations into 2010.