Howmet Castings to supply XM777 Lightweight Towed 155 mm titanium Howitzer components. (North America).

Howmet Castings, Inc., (Alcoa, Inc.), Darien, Connecticut, signed a memorandum of understanding with Britain's BAE Systems to supply 17 of 28 structural titanium castings for the XM777 Lightweight Towed 155 mm Howitzer Program. Howmet will begin manufacturing these parts in mid-2003, with initial delivery scheduled for January 2004.

"This marks Howmet's entry into the armament market and the first use of a cast titanium component in a 155 mm Howitzer," said Curtis Draper, Howmet director of marketing. "The use of these castings will cut part count by a factor of four compared to a welded fabrication," The castings also offer improved producibility while reducing both weight and cost.

Howmet relied on rapid prototyping to produce components for all ten XM777 Howitzers during the engineering manufacturing development phase. Numerous Howmet facilities will participate in this program, including casting and support operations located in Hampton, Virginia, and Whitehall, Michigan.

The XM777 Howitzer is a joint program of the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army to develop the replacement for the current M198 155 mm Towed Howitzer. Full-rate production is planned for 2006-10, with deliveries to Italy and the United Kingdom. The program may expand to include deliveries to additional NATO countries.