Alcoa Provides Aluminum Amah Tips to Austal for Littoral Combat Ship USS Jackson (LCS 6)

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Alcoa AA announced today that it has delivered a set of two “ready for installation” aluminum Amah tips to Austal USA for use on the future Littoral Combat Ship USS Jackson (LCS 6). An Amah tip is the leading edge of the all-aluminum, trimaran-type vessel's outrigger, or amah, and is more than seven feet across and weighs 850 pounds. The LCS 6 is currently being built for the U.S. Navy at Austal's Mobile, Alabama shipyard.

The one-piece design resulted from collaboration between Austal and Alcoa Technical Center (ATC), near Pittsburgh. ATC provided the design and development, Alcoa Global Rolled Products' mill in Davenport, Iowa, supplied the substrate and Alcoa Transportation Products (ATP) in Farmington Hills, Michigan, oversaw the final milling.

"Alcoa was able to provide Austal with a more affordable and less complex manufacturing solution, a streamlined purchasing process and ultimately improved weight performance for the ship," said Eric Roegner, president of Alcoa Forgings and Extrusions and Alcoa Defense.

Alcoa worked closely with the American Bureau of Shipbuilding (ABS) to ensure that both the thick plate produced at Davenport and the machining process completed by ATP met the rigorous and exacting standards of the ABS, resulting in full certification for use on the LCS.

A second set of similar Amah tips will be delivered to Austal for the future Littoral Combat Ship USS Montgomery (LCS 8) in May 2012.

“Work on the Amah tip underscores the strong relationship that has developed between Austal USA and Alcoa,” Roegner continued. “As we have done with Mission Bay and Flight Deck Tie Downs and now the Amah tips, we will continue to develop other lightweight solutions for Austal that will keep the Littoral Combat Ship affordable but most importantly provide the U.S. Navy with a very capable ship.”

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 120 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 10 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 31 countries across the world. More information can be found at www.alcoa.com.