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Defence & aerospace castings
What it is
Precision castings and forgings for defence platforms and aerospace - titanium and superalloy structural parts, engine components and armament hardware. Qualification requires NADCAP or equivalent accreditation and multi-year approval cycles
Indigenisation policy and global supply-chain diversification both drive demand
Impact on industries
- Realisation per tonne is many multiples of automotive castings, and qualification barriers keep the competitive set very small
- Defence indigenisation and aerospace offset obligations create policy-backed demand independent of the auto cycle
- Directly hedges the EV transition, since a titanium aerospace casting is indifferent to what powers a car
- Approval cycles run years with no revenue, and titanium and superalloy processing needs equipment most foundries do not have
- Order flow is lumpy and programme-linked rather than scheduled like OE supply