Defense
TIMET is the world leader in the production of titanium armor products for use in military ground vehicle applications, supplying 80% of the world’s titanium armor needs.
Something TIMET Takes Very Seriously
TIMET was founded to produce aerospace grades for the U.S. military, and has continued supplying innovative alloys for high performance aircraft. TIMET titanium is also used for passive and reactive armor defense markets. Over the years, TIMET has worked closely with the defense industry to substitute titanium in place of heavier, inflexible steel armor.
Defense Markets Served
TIMET products are used in the following defense markets.
TIMET was founded in 1950 to support development of high-performing military aircraft.
Titanium contributed significantly to the transformation to supersonic jets with enormous payload capacities, able to fly long distances at high altitudes. For the past half-century, continual advances in titanium technology have enabled breakthroughs in aircraft design and manufacturing.
Titanium remains an essential material in high-performance jet engines and airframes. TIMET has played an integral role in making today’s high-thrust engines possible through alloys with elevated fatigue strength, creep resistance and high thermal strength. TIMET alloys are used extensively in the fan and compressor sections of today’s most advanced military engines.
Military airframes require a much higher percentage of titanium than commercial planes because of their extreme dynamic and static loads. Design requirements and advances like superplastic forming, diffusion bonding, casting and electron beam welding are increasing the number of applications.
Tomorrow’s military aircraft will rely even more on advanced materials. TIMET is working with leading OEMs to develop and test technologies for the next generation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which will play an ever-increasing role in the military’s arsenal. TIMET’s innovative titanium technologies will play a significant role in aircraft performance capabilities, whether manned or unmanned.
The majority of titanium used in military armor comes from TIMET.
TIMET literally wrote the book on military armor by developing Electron Beam Single Melt (EBSM) armor-titanium that meets precise military specifications for strength, performance, reliability, and thermal and corrosion resistance. Today, the majority of titanium used in military armor comes from TIMET.
TIMET titanium is broadly used in tank armor. Our M 6-4 alloy is ballistic-tested to military specification MIL-DTL-46077G and available in a broad range of thicknesses. It is the armor of choice for the General Dynamics-built Abrams Tank used in the U.S., German, Swiss, Swedish and Israeli armed forces.
Titanium is ideal for many naval applications because of its corrosion resistance, a critical feature for pumps, pipes and any parts that come in contact with seawater. TIMET titanium can be found in pipes, tubing and fire protection systems on many Navy vessels.
TIMET works closely with shipyards, NAVSEA and top OEMs to provide high-quality titanium grades. In fact, we co-developed the TIMET 5-111 specialty alloy with the U.S. Navy for use in ships and submarines.
