WASHINGTON -- Alcoa announced today that it will supply ArmX aluminum armor kits to Oshkosh Defense for the Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) A4. The c-kit armor provides blast protection for the underside of the vehicle. The announcement was made yesterday at the AUSA show in Washington, DC.

“We are excited about partnering with Oshkosh to provide kitted ArmX assemblies, which provide excellent blast protection against improvised explosive device (IED) threats,” said Alcoa Defense President David Dobson. “We offer the complete value proposition of latest products and program management to provide highly engineered subassemblies to our OEM partners if they desire.”

Alcoa provides all elements of R&D through design and fulfillment to allow for unique solutions to move to market quickly. “Though these assemblies are complex, through our knowledgeable program management, we are meeting our customers’ lead times at 100 percent delivery performance,” says Victor Marquez, General Manager of Alcoa Transportation Products, where the kits are fabricated.

ArmX armor plate was formed with special practices to fit the HEMTT’s c-kit blast shield. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can purchase ArmX forgings or plate, or they can acquire complete ArmX subassemblies that can easily be integrated into their vehicles.

“We made Oshkosh’s design concept for their HEMTT blast shield a reality by producing the 14 subassembly components,” said Dobson. “Our aluminum manufacturing expertise allowed us to take two-inch thick ArmX plate, which is made from the ballistic temper of alloy 7085, and form it into complex shapes. Alcoa’s unique capabilities in bending thick plate while maintaining its strength is unmatched by other manufacturers.”

Alcoa
13.10.2011