Defense

Aluminum is officially recognized as a critical material essential to national security by the U.S. Government, the European Union, and NATO. It is listed by NATO as one of the 12 defense-critical raw materials, essential for the allied defense industry. Aluminum is also the only critical material present across all military applications.

Lightweight, strong, corrosion-resistant, and highly recyclable, aluminum enables the performance, mobility, and resilience required in today’s advanced military systems. From aircraft and armored vehicles to naval vessels and space technologies, aluminum is present in all defense systems and applications.

Aluminum is essential to defense platforms where strength-to-weight performance is critical. Its unique properties allow engineers to design systems that are lighter, faster, and more efficient while maintaining high structural integrity.

Today, aluminum is used in a wide range of defense applications, including military aircraft and aerospace systems, naval vessels and maritime platforms, armored vehicles and ground systems, space and satellite infrastructure, and ammunitions and weaponry.

Ensuring a reliable and resilient supply of aluminum is a matter of national security. Defense programs depend on secure domestic and allied supply chains capable of producing high-quality aluminum products on a scale.

Investments in advanced manufacturing, recycling, and metallurgy help ensure secure access to the materials defense programs require, while supporting highly skilled manufacturing jobs and strengthening the broader industrial base.

Aluminum offers a distinct advantage among strategic materials: it is infinitely recyclable without compromising performance. Recycling aluminum requires up to 95% less energy than primary production while providing a reliable and low-carbon source of metal.

Expanding aluminum recycling capacity strengthens supply chain resilience by retaining valuable metal within domestic and allied economies. Beyond environmental benefits, robust recycling capacities contribute to defense readiness by helping secure a stable supply of aluminum for critical applications.

Constellium brings decades of expertise to the defense sector, offering one of the broadest portfolios of high‑performing aluminum alloys for armored applications, renowned for their durability, light weight, corrosion resistance, and strength.

Our global armor portfolio includes innovative plate and extrusion solutions engineered to maximize aluminum's unique properties, such as stiffness, toughness, and exceptional strength‑to‑weight performance, and continually advanced by our in‑house technology center. Constellium serves leading defense clients from several sites in Europe and the United States. As a trusted partner, we develop next‑generation materials for critical applications. Our solutions support advanced armor systems for land vehicles, structural components for military aircraft such as the F‑35, F‑16, F‑18, Rafale, A400M, and C‑17, as well as high‑strength products for light armored vehicles, mobile military bridges, naval vessels, space and satellite infrastructures.