General Dynamics

Additional Details

General Dynamics Corporation (GD) is an American industrial and technology company based in Reston, Virginia. It is primarily a developer and producer of a wide variety of advanced military equipment. The company is the third-largest contractor for the U.S. federal government, receiving over 3% of total federal contracting spend. General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (OTS) is a major business unit of General Dynamics that specializes in munitions, warheads, and unguided bomb bodies rather than complete, finished "smart" bombs. Their primary contribution involves producing the casings for the Mk-80 series of unguided gravity bombs, such as the Mk-82. The Mark 82 (Mk-82) LDGP (Low-Drag General-Purpose) is a 500-pound, unguided, free-fall bomb—often referred to as a "dumb bomb"—and is part of the U.S. Mark 80 series. Developed in the 1950s to reduce aerodynamic drag, the Mk-80 series is used in the majority of bombing operations where maximum blast and explosive effects are required. Their casings are relatively light, with explosives making up approximately 45 percent of their total weight. The Mk-82 is the smallest of these bombs currently in service and remains one of the most common air-dropped weapons in the world. It was used extensively during the Vietnam War, the conflict in Gaza, and Operation Desert Storm, where this series of bombs was dropped from virtually every fixed-wing aircraft supporting the ground offensive. The Mk-82 also serves as the warhead for the GBU-12 and GBU-22 laser-guided bombs (GBU stands for Guided Bomb Unit) as well as the GBU-38 JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition). Currently, the General Dynamics plant in Garland, Texas, is the primary Department of Defense (DoD) certified facility manufacturing these bomb bodies for the U.S. Armed Forces, supplying Mk-80 series bomb bodies and 155mm heavy artillery ammunition to the U.S. military and international allies, including Israel. -- Listed on NYSE (GD), General Dynamics is backed by leading sovereign wealth funds, most notably NBIM.