The Mk44 has become the weapon of choice for the world's medium caliber fighting platforms to include ground vehicle, naval and aircraft applications. This weapon can be converted to fire 40mm rounds with a change of barrels and minor changes to the feeder assembly. This conversion can be performed by the ship's crew.

ATK’s MK44 Chain Gun is used on the Marine Corps Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) - formerly known as the Advanced Attack Amphibious Vehicle (AAAV). The Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) MK46 Weapon Station incorporates the 30mm MK44 automatic gun as well as a 7.62mm COAX machine gun). The MK46 Weapon Station will carry 215 ready rounds of 30mm 600 ready rounds of 7.62mm ammunition. This load out is sufficient to complete the mission. Since 1997, the EFV Program has been a leader in developing the MK44 which has been adopted by other DoD acquisition programs including the USN LPD-17 amphibious ship class and the USAF AC-130 Gunship programs.

The Mk44 Cannon and MK46 and Weapon Station nomenclature is the source of some ambiguity and confusion in official publications, which at time use them interchangeably. This weapon should not be confused with the MK46 Mod0 5.56mm Lightweight Machine Gun, a compact, belt-fed machine gun manufactured by FN Herstal of Belgium. It should also not be confused with the the 3,000 rounds-per-minute, 7.62 mm GAU-17 Gatling-style “mini-gun.”

The Mk44 has proven performance featuring dual feed Chain Gun® technology. It can fire all types of 30mm x 173mm ammunition; can be chambered for 30x170mm Rarden and is capable of being easily converted to fire Super Forty 40mm ammunition for built in growth capability. ATK’s Bushmaster series is already the gun system of choice for numerous North American and European armored vehicles including those of the Swiss, Polish and Finnish armies, as well as armored vehicles of the United States Army and Marine Corps.

On November 1, 2004 ATK received an $8.8 million contract for Research, Development, Testing and Evaluation (RDT&E) of a modified MK44 30mm Automatic Cannon for use by the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command on its AC-130U gunships. The AC-130U incorporates side-firing cannons to provide surgical firepower or area saturation against hard targets such as armored vehicles. This is the first time the MK44 will be flown on-board a fixed-wing aircraft. The MK44 is already the weapon system of choice for the U.S. Marine Corps Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle and other armored vehicles. ATK will develop and incorporate unique gun characteristics required by the Special Operations Command to meet its demanding mission requirements. As a leading provider of chain gun technology, ATK is uniquely qualified to develop and integrate next-generation capabilities that meet the ever-increasing performance requirements of the Special Forces.

The design simplicity of the MK44, its positive round control, ease of maintenance and constant velocity ammunition feed make it the low-risk, proven weapon system the Air Force can rely on for effective fire support. The weapon system fires 30mm rounds and will enhance the aircraft’s ability to destroy enemy armored vehicles by significantly increasing its stand-off distance while providing more firepower on target.

On the LPD-17 the Mk46 30mm gun system is a two-axis stabilized chain gun that can fire up to 250-rounds per minute. The system uses a forward looking infrared sensor, a low light television camera, and laser range finder with a closed-loop tracking system to optimize accuracy against small, high-speed surface targets. It can be operated locally at the gun's weapon station (turret) or fired remotely by a gunner in the ship's Combat Information Center.

On September 15, 2005 it was announced that Alliant Techsystems (ATK) will provide its proven 30/40mm Mk44 Bushmaster Cannon system to MSI Defence Systems for integration onto its DS30M Mk2 Naval Mounting. The UK Royal Navy (RN) has ordered a total of 26 systems for the new Type 23 Frigate, with deliveries scheduled to begin in late 2006. This is the first time ATK will provide the Bushmaster for use on a RN vessel and it extends the Bushmaster’s reach beyond armored vehicle applications to shipboard use. The gun systems will be used to enhance the Royal Navy’s ability to counter fast attack craft (FAC) and fast inshore attack craft (FIAC). The RN and MSI selected ATK’s Mk44 Bushmaster because of its significantly reduced dispersion rate and low ownership costs. In addition, the unique dual feed system of the Bushmaster series allows the operator to select different types of ammunition for use against a variety of targets. The safety, reliability and low life-cycle costs of the Bushmaster system add to its overall value.

ATK is a leading producer of medium-caliber gun systems for ground, sea, and air platforms. ATK produces the Bushmaster guns used on Bradley Fighting Vehicles, the LAV-25 light armored vehicle, U.S. Marine Corp patrol boats, and a growing number of vehicles for international defense forces. We also produce the MK 44 30/40mm automatic cannon for the U.S. Marine Corps' new advanced amphibious assault vehicle and the 30mm M230 automatic cannon, part of the weapon system on the AH-64A Apache and the new AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters.