Alcoa (NYSE: AA) today announced its latest armor product is now
specified for use by the U.S. Army Research Lab (ARL) for use in U.S.
military vehicles. Alcoa’s ArmX® 5456-H151 armor plate meets
the U.S. military’s highest performance standards for strength, blast
absorption, and ballistics resistance for armored combat vehicles where
weldability is a material requirement. Alcoa aluminum and armor have
been used by the military for decades in vehicles ranging from the
Bradley Fighting Vehicle to the Humvee.
“Alcoa’s military-grade aluminum alloys and products have helped the
U.S. military protect troops for generations,” said Mark Vrablec,
President of Global Aerospace, Transportation and Industrial Rolled
Products at Alcoa. “Alcoa’s latest innovation allows military vehicle
manufacturers to continue building with the highest level of durability
and troop protection through welding processes when assembling the
vehicle, or performing repairs in the field.
“This new product offers more than 20 percent improvement in strength
compared with the baseline 5083-H131 weldable armor plate, as well as
improved ballistic and blast performance,” added Vrablec.
Alcoa’s 5456-H151 armor plate, formerly referred to as CR56, joins the
family of Alcoa next-generation ArmX® brand armor solutions (click
here for more). Alcoa’s ArmX® 5456-H151 armor plate was
developed by scientists at the Alcoa Technical Center, the world’s
largest light metals innovation and R&D center located outside
Pittsburgh, Pa., in collaboration with metallurgists and production
engineers at Alcoa Davenport Works, the world’s premier aerospace,
defense, and automotive rolling mill. ArmX® 5456-H151 armor
plate will be produced at Alcoa Davenport Works, where manufacturing and
quality control testing is conducted to ensure the military’s highest
specifications for weldable aluminum armor plate are met.
Alcoa’s ArmX® 5456-H151 armor was tested and has been
successfully demonstrated on the U.S. Army’s Fuel Efficient Ground
Vehicle Demonstrator vehicle, known as FED ALPHA, a prototype vehicle
that Alcoa helped develop to demonstrate lightweight, fuel-efficient
technologies while maintaining vehicle durability and troop safety (click
for more information on the FED vehicle). FED ALPHA’s lightweight
aluminum structure makes the vehicle up to 10 percent lighter than a
comparably sized steel vehicle and reduces fuel consumption by 6-7
percent.
For information on Alcoa Defense, please visit: http://www.alcoa.com/defense
For information on Alcoa’s innovations, please visit: http://www.alcoa.com/innovation
Editor’s Note: Caption for accompanying photo: Alcoa’s newest
armor alloy — Alcoa’s ArmX® 5456-H151 armor — is now
specified for use by the U.S. Army Research Lab (ARL) for use in U.S.
military vehicles. Alcoa’s ArmX 5456-H151 armor was demonstrated on the
U.S. Army’s Fuel Efficient Ground Vehicle Demonstrator (FED ALPHA),
shown here.
About Alcoa Defense
Alcoa Defense partners with industry leaders to design systems and
materials that increase the speed, reach, agility and survivability of
military platforms. In addition to delivering lightweight, innovative
solutions in multiple product forms, Alcoa Defense manufactures
subassemblies, prototypes and complete aluminum structures that original
equipment manufacturers can integrate into their platforms for land, air
and sea. More information can be found at AlcoaDefense.com.
About Alcoa
Alcoa is the world’s leading producer of primary and fabricated
aluminum, as well as the world’s largest miner of bauxite and refiner of
alumina. In addition to inventing the modern-day aluminum industry,
Alcoa innovation has been behind major milestones in the aerospace,
automotive, packaging, building and construction, commercial
transportation, consumer electronics and industrial markets over the
past 125 years. Among the solutions Alcoa markets are flat-rolled
products, hard alloy extrusions, and forgings, as well as Alcoa® wheels,
fastening systems, precision and investment castings, and building
systems in addition to its expertise in other light metals such as
titanium and nickel-based super alloys. Sustainability is an integral
part of Alcoa’s operating practices and the product design and
engineering it provides to customers. Alcoa has been a member of the Dow
Jones Sustainability Index for 12 consecutive years and approximately 75
percent of all of the aluminum ever produced since 1888 is still in
active use today. Alcoa employs approximately 61,000 people in 30
countries across the world. For more information, visit www.alcoa.com
and follow @Alcoa on Twitter at twitter.com/Alcoa and follow Alcoa on
Facebook at www.facebook.com/Alcoa.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20131010005956/en/
Alcoa
Investor Contact
Kelly Pasterick, 212-836-2674
Kelly.Pasterick@alcoa.com
or
Media Contacts
Christa Bowers, 212-836-2605
Christa.Bowers@alcoa.com
or
Kevin G. Lowery, 412-553-1424
Kevin.Lowery@alcoa.com