Salzgitter has received approval for its SECURE 500 steel grade to be used for military purposes, for example, in vehicles or protective systems, Kallanish notes.
Together with subsidiary Ilsenburger Grobblech, the steelmaker has received approval from the German Military Technical Center 91 (WTD 91) in accordance with TL (Technical Delivery Conditions) 2350-0000.
During intensive testing, weldability and behaviour under fire and blast were evaluated, among other aspects. The approval confirms the high quality and reliability of the steel and underlines Salzgitter expertise as a partner for demanding defence applications, the enterprise claims.
According to the German steelmaker, by expanding its portfolio, Salzgitter is responding to growing demand from the security and defence sector.
“Ongoing and intensifying geopolitical crises have made it clear that security and freedom in Europe should not be taken for granted. Europe must be capable of defending itself. As a steel and technology group, we see it as our responsibility to make our contribution to the defence capability of our society in the form of steel for protection and armour purposes,” says corporate communications head Thorsten Moellmann, who is also responsible for the group-wide defence task force.
“A prerequisite for protection against ballistic threats is a high level of steel hardness. The greater the hardness, the better the protection capability against ballistic attack,” the company notes.
“With our state-of-the-art heat treatment facility in Ilsenburg, we can produce extremely strong steels with outstanding surface quality and dimensional accuracy,” says Ilsenburger Grobblech director for sales Thorsten Gintaut. “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.”
Salzgitter is already in the approval process for additional steel grades and, following final assessment by the German Armed Forces, it will be able to offer the complete SECURE product range for military applications.
Earlier, German defence manufacturer Rheinmetall said it is considering taking over one of Volkswagen’s soon-to-be-unused plants, as the arms maker seeks additional production capacity in Germany while domestic carmakers struggle (see Kallanish passim).
VW’s Osnabrück plant is one of three that will remain unused for the next two years after the automaker decided last December to halve its production capacity in the country due to slowing car sales in Europe.
Svetoslav Abrossimov Bulgaria
