Rare-earths developer NioCorp Developments is joining forces with defense contractor Lockheed Martin to develop advanced scandium applications, backed by the Pentagon.
The NioCorp–Lockheed partnership, announced on Oct. 22, is part of a program to engineer aluminum-scandium alloy prototypes, with the objective aimed at improving structural performance and weight efficiency in advanced fighter aircraft systems.
No additional details on the project were released.
The Pentagon is providing $10 million under Title III of the Defense Production Act to support the development of a domestic scandium supply chain, anchored by NioCorp’s Elk Creek Critical Minerals Project in southeast Nebraska.
NioCorp’s unit is producing the nation’s first polymetallic deposit to bolster production of various critical minerals, including scandium, niobium, titanium, and light and heavy magnetic rare earth oxides….