Military materials are the cornerstone of the military industry
Military material is an important application field classified by material use. Due to the harsh working environment of military equipment, most military materials need to work normally under extreme conditions, especially aerospace has higher requirements for structural materials. Therefore, these military materials generally need to have a variety of performance characteristics such as high strength, high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance and low density. For such materials with excellent characteristics and functions that can meet the needs of military high performance, we call them military materials or military high-end materials.
1. Advanced military materials to create advanced weapons and equipment
“A generation of weapons, a generation of materials”. In all ages, the most advanced technology is often the first to serve military purposes. Materials play an important role in the national defense industry, and new military materials are the prerequisite for the development of high-end weapons and equipment. Taking aeroengine as an example, the improvement of its performance depends on materials. According to the prediction of the development trend of aeroengine and its demand for materials, the contribution rate of new materials, new processes and new structures to the primary engine with a thrust to weight ratio of 12-15 will reach more than 50%, and even account for about 2 / 3 in terms of future development. It can be said that there is no more advanced aeroengine without advanced materials and manufacturing technology. Therefore, new military materials are not only the material basis of the new generation of weapons and equipment, but also the key technology in the military field in the world. Countries all over the world attach great importance to the development of military new material technology. Accelerating the development of military new material technology is an important prerequisite for maintaining military leadership.
Military new material technology is an important factor determining the performance and level of weapons and equipment. The successful development of high-efficiency and low-cost resin based missile and arrow composites and their application in strategic and tactical missiles and arrows have significantly improved the combat technical indexes of weapons and equipment and greatly increased the range of strategic missiles; The extended range of light anti tank missile mainly depends on the successful development and application of carbon fiber / glass fiber hybrid reinforced epoxy composite engine shell, silicone ablation resistant coating and rubber matrix composite protective layer; The “4S” performance characteristics of the fourth generation fighter (stealth, supersonic cruise capability, super maneuverability and super information advantage) are very dependent on the development and application of new material technology.
New military materials lead the development of technology and lay the foundation of China’s overall materials. The traction of new military equipment is one of the reasons for the rapid development of China’s high-end new material technology. Especially in the environment of foreign blockade, military materials are the breakthrough of China’s new material technology. Through the development in recent years, we can see that China is gradually breaking the encirclement and suppression blockade of Western powers. Take carbon fiber as an example. In the past, the main markets of the international carbon fiber industry were monopolized by the United States and Japan. However, with the key support of China and the unremitting efforts of enterprises such as Weihai Guangwei Composites Co.Ltd(300699) , Sinofibers Technology Co.Ltd(300777) and so on, through the R & D and supply of military products, China has made full progress in high-performance carbon fiber and laid a foundation for the future high-end civil market.
Military materials are developing in the direction of “lightweight, high-performance and multifunctional”. In the field of aerospace, lightweight means that the aircraft expands the combat radius while saving fuel and improves the battlefield survivability and combat effectiveness. Therefore, the development trend is to use lightweight, high-strength and high modulus materials to improve the structural efficiency. High performance is the requirement of new military materials from beginning to end. This performance is reflected in many aspects, including mechanical strength, toughness and high temperature resistance. In addition, due to the high requirements for reliability of weapons and equipment, military materials have the characteristics of higher performance than economy.
The demand for high-performance materials has increased significantly due to the large volume of new models and new equipment. At present, in the application of new weapons and equipment, high-performance military materials such as titanium alloy, superalloy and composite materials (carbon fiber) stand out, and the market space is growing. In terms of the demand for materials in the aviation field, at present, composite materials and titanium alloys are widely used in the body structure materials, and the dosage is constantly reaching a new high.
2. The rapid expansion of military materials in the 14th five year plan and the transformation of military to civilian use have brought the second growth power
Downstream train loading is accelerated, and upstream materials are in short supply. In the 14th five year plan, China’s accelerated construction of military equipment, the rapid loading of new models of military aircraft, and the “order of magnitude” incremental construction of missiles have formed a strong demand for upstream materials. Superimposed with the increment of “self-control” and the increase in the application proportion of high-end high-performance materials in the new equipment, the upstream materials show a strong “short supply” in the military industry chain, and also show a higher performance increase elasticity compared with the downstream.
Enterprises actively expand production, and the production capacity of military materials in the 14th five year plan will at least double. In the context of the overall shortage of military upstream materials, military material companies have successively issued production expansion plans in recent years. We have counted the production expansion plans of Listed Companies in the field of major military materials. It is expected that by the end of the 14th five year plan, the production capacity will at least double, with the production capacity of superalloys increasing by 157%, carbon fiber increasing by 210% and titanium alloy increasing by 138%. Considering the climbing of new production capacity, we expect the overall prosperity of military materials during the 14th Five Year Plan period to be worry free. At the same time, the market demand of titanium alloy, superalloy and carbon fiber is expected to maintain stable and rapid growth during the 14th Five Year Plan period, and the market space is gradually opened. We expect the compound growth rate of market demand for high-end titanium alloy, carbon fiber and superalloy during the 14th Five Year Plan period to be 20%, 25% and 16% respectively. By 2025, the market scale of the three materials will exceed 10 billion yuan, 20 billion yuan and 30 billion yuan respectively.
The “civil” market of high-end materials brings the second growth power to enterprises. In addition to the rapid growth of military products, the maturity of material technology has also brought a broad “civil” market to the industry and brought the second growth power to relevant fields. In terms of carbon fiber, with its excellent properties such as lightweight, high strength and high modulus, it has shown a good prospect in new energy fields such as wind power and hydrogen energy storage; In terms of superalloys, with the support of the two special policies, China’s aviation engines will usher in rapid development, but in terms of gas turbines, they are still being started. With the maturity of technology, they are also expected to add more development momentum to the superalloy market.
The “big plane” is ready to go, and the civil aircraft market is in the ascendant. At the 13th China air show, COMAC released the latest forecast annual report, while Boeing also released the latest China civil aviation market outlook report, which raised the market space of China’s civil aircraft. It is expected that the market space of civil aircraft will be between 9-9.5 trillion in the next 20 years. Then, with the advent of C919, it will promote the development of the global civil aircraft market pattern from the original “ab” to “ABC”. Under the environment of autonomy requirements, these upstream material enterprises supporting aviation and military aircraft will provide new market increment.
Metal materials – new and high-end metal materials have an irreplaceable position
1. Titanium alloy — the star metal of new weapons and equipment
Titanium alloy is widely used in aerospace, ships and warships because of its low density, high specific strength, good corrosion resistance and low thermal conductivity. At present, the structural adjustment of China’s titanium industry has achieved initial results. It has changed from the past demand of medium and low-end chemical industry, metallurgy and salt making industries to the development of medium and high-end military industry, high-end chemical industry (PTA equipment) and marine engineering industries. The industrial profits are gradually shifting from the above medium and low-end fields to the high-end fields with military industry as the main demand. With the arrival of the 14th five year plan, high-end military titanium alloy is in short supply in the environment of strong downstream demand, and the industry has ushered in a window period of rapid expansion of high-end production capacity.
2. Superalloy — the integrated material of modern physical metallurgy and metallurgical technology
Superalloys are widely used in aerospace, ships and warships because of their high temperature resistance, high strength, corrosion resistance and fatigue resistance. They are an important material basis for the development of power plants to higher performance. At this stage, China’s superalloy industry as a whole is in short supply. At present, the global superalloy technology is concentrated in the hands of the old military powers the United States, Europe and Russia. China’s superalloy industry has accelerated to catch up in recent years. With China’s increasing R & D efforts in high-performance aerospace engines and the steady accumulation of technical experience, the superalloy industry has entered a stage of rapid development.
3. Aluminum alloy – the most widely used metal structural material in military industry
With the characteristics of low density, high strength, high modulus and corrosion resistance, aluminum alloy is widely used in aerospace, ships and warships. It is an important way for the development of complete equipment to be lighter. At present, high-end aluminum alloys in China’s aerospace and shipbuilding fields can be produced independently. However, due to weak technology accumulation and insufficient production process control, the product performance uniformity is poor or the qualification rate is low, and there is still a gap compared with foreign cost control. However, with the accumulation of experience and the gradual breakthrough of key technologies, the industrial chain is deepening to the high-end field.
High performance fibers and composites – the application proportion is increasing, and there is a lot of room for performance improvement
1. Carbon fiber and its composites — Strategic advanced materials for national defense
With the characteristics of low density, high strength, high modulus and high stability, carbon fiber and its composites are widely used in aerospace, automobile and ship and other fields, leading the wave of lightweight materials. The development of carbon fiber industry is strongly supported by national policies. Carbon fiber is listed as one of the key strategic materials in made in China 2025. At present, China has broken the foreign blockade from the upstream carbon fiber itself. Although there is still a gap in cost control, with the large-scale application of high-performance carbon fiber in weapons and equipment, it is expected to further stimulate the benign development of the whole industry. At present, the demand for high-performance carbon fiber in China’s aerospace field continues to grow rapidly. China’s production capacity of high-performance carbon fiber is seriously insufficient, and there is great room for import substitution. With the in-depth and rapid development of high-performance, large-scale and low-cost domestic carbon fiber industry, the industry is expected to fully benefit from the pull of market demand.
2. Aramid fiber and its composites – high quality materials for bulletproof armor
Aramid fiber has excellent flame retardant, high temperature resistance, high strength and high modulus. It has always been a key basic material in the field of national defense and military industry. It is mainly used in military and police combat clothing, honeycomb structure materials, bulletproof clothing, bulletproof armor and so on. Aramid fiber products mainly include meta aramid fiber and para aramid fiber. China’s domestic self-sufficiency rate of para aramid fiber is only 23%, and there is huge room for substitution. Although China has sufficient production capacity, meta aramid fiber is a low-end industrial filter material in terms of product form, which urgently needs to develop to the high end. At present, from the perspective of global competition, the industry is basically monopolized by foreign giants, but Chinese manufacturers can realize industrialization after independent development, and are expected to compete on the international stage in the future. With the continuous expansion of aramid applications in national defense, military industry, safety and environmental protection, China’s aramid market demand will usher in rapid growth.
3. Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene fiber – the preferred fiber in the field of individual bulletproof protection
Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fiber is the fiber with the highest specific strength and specific modulus in the world. It is widely used in military equipment, marine industry, safety protection, sports equipment and other fields. UHMWPE fiber is the preferred material for bulletproof equipment and is replacing aramid fiber. At the same time, with the continuous progress of technology, the application of UHMWPE fiber in aerospace and national defense equipment will continue to expand in the future. At present, the proportion of Chinese military is still very low, and the future demand for repair is expected to drive the rapid growth of high-end military UHMWPE fiber. At the same time, with the improvement of the performance of Chinese UHMWPE fiber, domestic substitution will also drive the upward growth of the industry.
Other structural and functional materials — structural and functional materials with broad application prospects in military industry
1. Stealth materials – the material basis of stealth of weapons and equipment
Stealth material is a general term of materials with stealth function. The product form can be divided into coating materials and structural materials. The specific downstream applications are mainly in the field of national defense and military industry. With the rapid development of weapons and equipment investigation means and modern electronic warfare, the application of radar and infrared stealth materials corresponding to new weapons and equipment has been improved in both depth and breadth. At present, China’s technology in stealth materials has reached the forefront of the world, but the overall commercialization process is still in the early stage. With the batch production of new weapons and equipment, it will drive the demand and application of stealth materials, especially the accelerated assembly of new types of equipment. The proportion of single assembly of stealth materials is expected to continue to increase.
2. Ceramic materials — key materials for military structure and electronic information
Ceramic materials (especially advanced ceramic materials) are widely used in structural materials and electronic fields because of their high temperature resistance and unique electrical properties. As a structural material, it can be mature and applied to strategic missiles, thermal structural parts of rocket engines and protective frames of various satellite antenna windows. In terms of electronic ceramics, with the acceleration of weapon equipment informatization, the demand for Chinese ceramic capacitors in the military industry is increasing. With the maturity of technology, it is expected to drive the development of military to civilian conversion in the future. Generally speaking, there is still a certain gap in the overall level of China’s advanced ceramics compared with foreign countries. However, at present, the country is constantly allocating resources and policies for the development of strategic emerging industries. Advanced ceramics, as basic raw materials and core components, will usher in rapid development.
