It is clear that the US and European armed forces are in the midst of a weight-reduction programme. 'Although several reasons exist for reducing a vehicle's weight,' explains Larry Martin, business development manager at ATI Wah Chang, an Allegheny Company, 'the primary driver behind weight reduction is the goal of transporting combat vehicles in helicopters or medium-capacity military cargo planes. An important secondary goal is maintenance life-cycle cost reduction and a third is alleviating environmental concerns. Titanium's popularity is increasing as the value of these goals increases.' Titanium costs much more than RHA steel, but is similar in cost to some high-performance steels and aluminium, and is much less expensive than ceramics. Furthermore, titanium alloys can be recyled at a value approximate to the titanium sponge. As Martin points out, titanium's cost/performance ratio is excellent when evaluating vehicle life-cycle costs. 'Titanium also provides excellent lightweight ballistic protection against medium-to-heavy ballistic threats at a moderate price compared to ceramic and composite solutions,' explains Martin. 'In addition, it provides a multi-hit capability, is strong and does not corrode at the welds, and is field-repairable.'
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