US Defence Supplier Increases Heat Treat Capacity

Watervliet Arsenal located in Watervliet, New York was founded in 1813 and is the oldest continuously active arsenal in the United States, and today produces much of the artillery for the army as well as gun tubes for cannons, mortars and tanks. In 2023 the US government announced that it was investing $1.7 Billion USD into upgrading the facility over the next two decades. 
 
This massive investment meant a newly expanded and upgraded heat treat department which included a new endothermic generator provided by “McLaughlin Furnace Group” in 2023 “U.S. Army Arsenal Commits to New Endothermic Generator”.
 
The most recent investment includes a horizontal heat treat furnace which the arsenal describes this way; “The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project replaced the arsenal’s aging system without disrupting workflow. The new system improves quality and expands the arsenal’s capabilities and capacity.” Not a great deal of detail we realize but no surprise as this is a defence project. This photo shows the ribbon cutting ceremony for the furnace line which took place just a month ago.
 
For more details about why this investment was required we would suggest this very interesting article below; “The Pentagon has allocated $161 million to create a second production line for the barrels of the M777 and M109 155mm howitzers, as the only plant in the US – the Watervliet Arsenal – cannot cope with Ukraine’s demand for more than 30 new barrels a month.
 
The intensive use of howitzers by the Ukrainian Defence Forces leads to their rapid wear and tear, reducing accuracy and range, and increasing the risk of failures due to barrel rupture or damage. According to a recent document from the US Department of Defence, a decision was made to upgrade the production facility to produce up to 10 additional barrels for the M777 howitzers per month.
 
Ukraine has received more than 200 155mm howitzers from the US since the invasion began, including the M777, but much of it is already damaged or worn out. The high intensity of the fighting results in a constant need to repair and replace barrels, putting a strain on U.S. production capacity.
 
It is also interesting that the Ukrainian Defence Forces have mastered an almost complete cycle of repair and maintenance of M777 howitzers (including the assembly of a single howitzer from several unrepairable ones). In addition, it is also known about the localisation of production of a number of spare parts (consumables) that require constant replacement.”
 
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