In 2014 Materion announced a breakthrough in its AlBeCast® aluminum beryllium investment casting technology that improves casting quality and dramatically reduces production costs. The breakthrough was instrumental in winning an order from Lockheed Martin Corporation for the F-35 fighter jet’s Lightning II Electro-Optical Targeting System.
Overall beryllium-related sales to the defense, science and aerospace markets are projected to increase over the next several years. The metal is prized as a lightweight structural material for high-speed aircraft, helicopters, missiles, spacecraft and satellites. It has become the standard material for optics in space and on defensive and offensive “seeker” missiles, and is used in reconnaissance and targeting systems in military unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).