Steel produced by Salzgitter has been approved for use in the defence industry by Germany’s armed forces, the company said on 8 July.
The approval allows the company to strengthen its position in the growing market for military applications.
The steelmaker received approval from the German Military Technical Center 91 (WTD 91) in accordance with TL (Technical Delivery Conditions) 2350-0000. This officially approves steel grade SECURE 500 in 6-16 mm thicknesses for military use, including vehicles or protective systems.
Salzgitter is already in the approval process for additional steel grades and after obtaining approval, plans to offer a range of products under the SECURE brand name for military use.
Growth of the European defence sector has been widely discussed in the market this year, and certification of products by the militaries of different EU states was identified as one of the issues that could slow down the process. Market participants said that although it is relatively easy for a steelmaker to alter its steel with additional heat treatment to achieve greater hardness for the needs of the defence sector, the certification process was more time consuming.
“Our SECURE 500 steels are quenched and tempered and feature a fine martensitic microstructure. With the granting of TL approval, these steels are now also approved for use by the German Armed Forces – this is a great success after extensive testing,” Thorsten Gintaut, managing director sales of Salzgitter Ilsenburger Grobblech said.
Earlier this year, two Central European heavy plate producers resumed operations partially supported by demand from the defence sector, namely Liberty Steel Galati in Romania and Częstochowa Steelworks in Poland.
In June this year, the European Commission proposed new measures to facilitate EUR800 billion of investment in the defence sector over the next four years. The investment is part of the vision set out in the White Paper for European Defence-Readiness 2030, which outlined actions needed to boost Europe’s defence preparedness.
Maria Tanatar Associate Director, Steel and Green Steel
