The Department of Defense (DoD) announced today a $15 million award via the Defense Production Act Investments (DPAI) program to Lehigh Heavy Forge in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, which will provide press equipment upgrades and enhance their heavy forging production capacity. Specifically, the award will fund a new forging manipulator that improves the capacity of their 10,000-ton open die forging press, heat treatment furnace enhancements, and the implementation of an automated ultrasonic forging testing program. This effort supports the 2024 National Defense Industrial Strategy to expand support for domestic production to increase supply chain resilience.
"Heavy forging production is needed across many critical defense applications – including naval ship shafts and critical propulsion and structural components," said Dr. Laura Taylor-Kale, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy (ASD(IBP)). "This award helps address the many capacity challenges faced by the U.S. heavy forge industry resulting from aging equipment and facilities."
Heavy forgings may be used in the construction of hulls for both Virginia and Columbia class submarines, and in ship shafting for submarines, Arleigh Burke destroyers, San Antonio amphibious transport docks, and Ford aircraft carrier classes.
"By restoring, modernizing, and expanding domestic production capability, this award will improve Lehigh Heavy Forge's ability to reliably and efficiently serve the needs of both the DoD and commercial industry as a merchant supplier of heavy forgings," added Mr. Anthony Di Stasio, Director of the Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization (MCEIP) directorate.
This is the latest of 61 awards made by the DPAI program across multiple areas totaling $617 million since the beginning of fiscal year 2024. DPAI is overseen by the OASD(IBP)'s MCEIP directorate.
