Alcoa has announced that its Alcoa Forged Products and Aluminum Castings business has signed a five-year contract with Klune Industries, a supplier of finish-machined parts to prime contractor Raytheon, to manufacture high-strength aluminum structural castings for the U. S. Navy's Tactical Tomahawk missile. The contact is valued at nearly $30 million.

"This program has given us an opportunity to demonstrate the value of the aluminum-investment-casting process for critical defense applications, while also showcasing our ability to provide cost-effective, high-strength missile components in aluminum and titanium," said Joseph Haniford, Vice President and General Manager of Alcoa Forged Products and Aluminum Castings. "We are now supporting the full-rate production phase of this program with four major structural parts, with deliveries scheduled through 2009.

"Our leading edge design and advanced production capabilities in aluminum forgings and castings continue to provide new opportunities for growth," said Haniford.