IBC Signs Agreement with the US Army Research Lab to Develop Beralcast® UAV Aerospace Applications
WILMINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS–(Marketwire – March 15, 2011) – IBC Advanced Alloys Corp. (TSX VENTURE:IB) (“IBC” or the “Company”) announces that it has signed a Development and Technical Services Agreement (the “Agreement”) with the US Military’s Army Research Laboratory (“ARL”) in Aberdeen, Maryland, and the Navy’s Tactical Multi-Mission Unmanned Aerial Systems Program, to evaluate the Beralcast® family of ultra-lightweight beryllium aluminum alloys. The Agreement’s objective is to identify suitable component and substructures for commercial scale manufacturing opportunities and to support the ARL’s ongoing mission of materials R&D excellence.
Under the terms of the Agreement, IBC Engineered Materials will work closely with the ARL and the Naval Air Systems Command (“NAVAIR”), headquartered in Patuxent River, Maryland. The parties will work jointly to develop, evaluate and test the use of IBC’s lightweight Beralcast®beryllium aluminum alloys for the United States Armed Forces Fire Scout program and other unmanned aerial vehicles or UAV drone initiatives. The joint initiative will focus on the manufacture of specific subsystem components using Beralcast® alloys to achieve weight reduction, greater sensor efficiency and component stiffness for specific UAV programs.
UAV initiatives are a high priority for the Department of Defense as these platforms are rapidly becoming an integral and critical part of the US’s airborne military capacity. These unmanned aerial vehicles can fly autonomously or be piloted remotely with lethal or nonlethal payloads. In addition to their primary mission of intelligence gathering, UAVs are increasingly being used in ways normally reserved for manned aircraft. UAVs offer great advantages over manned aircraft as they are more cost-effective and minimize the risk to a pilot’s life.
The Beralcast® family of alloys are ideally suited to commercial and military aerospace applications requiring complex, lightweight, or high-stiffness parts. Beralcast® is a higher performance and lower cost replacement for cast aluminum, magnesium, titanium, metal matrix composites, non-metallic composites, and pure beryllium or powder metallurgy beryllium-aluminum. The principal Beralcast® alloy is more than three times stiffer than aluminum with 22% less weight and can be precision-cast to simple and complex configurations making it an ideal engineered and cost effective solution for a wide range of complex aerospace applications.
“We are very excited by the opportunity to play a role in enhancing the capability of the Military’s UAV fleets,” said IBC Engineered Materials President Ray White. “IBC Engineered Materials has a strong aerospace background with a US Military Handbook approved product for advanced aerospace applications. Working with the Department of Defense is a privilege,” continued White, “and we look forward to working closely with the ARL and NAVAIR teams to develop advanced Beralcast® materials solutions for their UAV programs and to supporting ongoing R&D initiatives.”
“We are excited by the prospect of using the high performance Beralcast® materials to extend the mission loiter capability and simultaneously improve the performance of some of the key sensors on board our UAVs,” stated Bob Ernst, the Tactical UAS Chief Engineer. “We are also optimistic that the Beralcast® family of alloys may have additional applications for other Unmanned Airborne Systems (“UAS”) and are hopeful that this initial project will be the first step in a long and mutually beneficial relationship. To be able to support our men and women in uniform,” continued Ernst, “while using leading edge American technology to provide a real savings benefit to the taxpayer is a win-win.”
