The US Department of Defense has awarded IperionX Limited a contract worth up to USD 47.1 million to strengthen the US defense industrial base for titanium production. The company will build a fully integrated supply chain from raw material extraction to metal production. The aim is to reduce the USA’s dependence on foreign suppliers and improve national security of supply.
The contract is part of a development program in which a total of 70.7 million US dollars will be invested. The first phase comprises start-up funding of USD 5 million from the Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program (IBAS), which will be supplemented by USD 1 million from IperionX. The goal is to bring the Titan Critical Minerals Project in Tennessee to production readiness and create a domestic source of titanium and other critical minerals such as rare earths and zircon.
Additional funding of $42.1 million will be provided over the term of the agreement to expand production capacity at the IperionX facility in Virginia. The company is relying on modern processes such as hydrogen-assisted metallothermal reduction (HAMR) and sintering with phase transformation using hydrogen (HSPT) to produce titanium cost-effectively.
According to a market research analysis conducted by the US Department of Defense in 2023, there is an urgent need for a stable domestic supply of titanium, as existing supply chains are heavily dependent on imports. The DoD sees the combination of domestic mining, recycling of titanium scrap and new production methods as an opportunity to improve the quality and cost structure of the material. The decision in favor of IperionX was made following a competitive tender aimed at strengthening national titanium production.
Anastasios (Taso) Arima, CEO of IperionX, explains: “This contract award marks a critical turning point in IperionX’s mission to build a domestic titanium industry in the United States. For far too long, American industry has relied on foreign-controlled supply chains for this critical high-strength metal. The technologies developed by IperionX, in conjunction with the Titanium Project, provide a pathway to create a resilient, end-to-end U.S. titanium supply chain. We are proud to have been selected by the Department of Defense as a key partner in strengthening U.S. industrial and military capabilities.”
The planned measures are intended to reduce dependence on international titanium suppliers in the long term and at the same time meet the needs of the aviation, aerospace and defense industries. IperionX will work closely with the Ministry of Defense and the industry to establish a robust supply chain that meets the increasing demands on the material.
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