GDATP’s History and Growth 

The history of today’s General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products began in 1948 when General Electric purchased the Bell Aircraft factory located in Burlington, Vermont. GE operated the Burlington-based Armament Systems Department exclusively as a DoD government contractor making missile nose cone components in the 1950s and armament gun systems from the early 1950s to the present. GE sold its entire Aerospace business (14 locations and about 30,000 people including Armament Systems) in a merger with Martin Marietta in 1993. Martin Marietta merged with Lockheed in 1995 to form Lockheed Martin. In 1997, General Dynamics acquired Armament Systems in Burlington from Lockheed Martin.

In the late 1990s, the original business was reinvented from a Gatling gun company into a vital and growing systems integration business. This set the stage for an acquisition. Saco Defense in Saco, Maine was acquired in 2000 broadening the line of crew-served weapons and gun barrel manufacturing.

Rocket assembly in Camden, Arkansas came under Armament Systems in 2001 when General Dynamics acquired and realigned Primex.

In 2002, General Dynamics acquired Advanced Technical Products, an industry leader in high tech composites, military shelters, filament-wound high pressure vessels and chemical and biological detectors. The new company was renamed General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products to acknowledge the joining of two capable and well-respected heritage businesses. Although the customers were the same (i.e. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines), their products were complementary.

The growth period from 1999 to 2002 was fast-paced with significant structural and cultural changes. And that continues today. In 2009, General Dynamics again entered into new territory when it acquired AxleTech International. Mike Mulligan, president of General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, said, “AxleTech International opens doors to customer groups and markets that General Dynamics has not previously served." From its heritage in Gatling guns to its continuous reinvention, GDATP continues to be poised for growth in the future.