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6/17/2008 3:33 AM

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Staff and wire reports

Specialty metals producer Allegheny Technology on Monday unveiled a new steel armor designed to protect military vehicles, ships and aircraft from armor-piercing rounds and explosions.

The new armor steel plate is being produced by ATI's Allegheny Ludlum Washington Plate Mill on the site of the former Jessop Steel mill in Canton Township.

Pittsburgh-based ATI said the plate steel, distinguished by its flatness, consistent hardness and other properties, is the first of its kind to be developed in the United States since the Vietnam War.

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Pat Hassey, Allegheny Technologies' chairman, president and chief executive, said the introduction of the ATI 500-MIL armor steel comes amid strong demand from the defense industry.

"Lead times are long for military contractors and fabricators," he said in a statement. "ATI has the capacity to meet immediate and near-term demand, with the production capacity for future demand that the product is expected to generate."

ATI and Ludlum officials had hinted at the new armor plate product two weeks ago as they showed off a new $60 million advanced manufacturing complex during an open house at the Washington mill on Green Street, but declined to provide additional details. The complex is also producing titanium and other specialty steel plate for a variety of other applications in aerospace, oil and gas exploration, chemical processing and electrical energy production.

The armor is designed to meet new U.S. standards for ballistic performance and is being qualified for compliance with NATO and other international standards, according to Allegheny Technologies.

It has been designed for a range of applications, including the protection of medium- and heavyweight tactical vehicles, armored patrol cars, above-deck structures on ships and aircraft, the company said.

The armor can be installed on new vehicles or retrofitted on older ones.

Allegheny Technologies, which reported $5.5 billion in 2007 revenues, supplies military-grade titanium, alloys, zirconium, tungsten and other specialty metals.

The company is introducing the new armor at the Eurosatory arms show outside Paris.

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