By Troy Turner
ALFAB Inc., a south Alabama company located in Enterprise near Fort Novosel, won a U.S. military contract worth up to $59 million to produce specialized mats that can be used for landing aircraft and other purposes on unstable terrain.
The Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps will be the services using the aluminum matting landing mats, the Department of Defense announced.
ALFAB is a principal supplier of landing-mat portable runway systems and related components, with various military contracts inked over the past decade. The DOD previously has spent more than $429 million with the company, according to government spending reports dating back to 2008.
The newest contract carries a ceiling of $59.2 million if maximized.
More than 20 million pounds of landing mat have been produced by ALFAB since 1971, the company reports.
“Landing mats can be conveniently transported to remote locations where they can be rapidly laid over most existing subgrades with very little preparation. The mats are completely interchangeable, thus providing a complete airfield,” ALFAB states. “In addition to providing a stable airfield surface, landing mats can be used for beach landings, heliports, bridge decking, heavy-duty roads and other similar applications such as flooring for relocatable shelters, tents and hangers.”
Rapid Runway Repair Kits incorporate landing mats to repair bomb-damaged landing fields as well as repair worn or otherwise damaged airfields.
“This unique application can be invaluable in maintaining strategic airfields in wartime as well as for humanitarian operations,” ALFAB reported. “Landing mats are lightweight, easily assembled and rapidly deployable, making this time-proven product uniquely suited for missions worldwide.”
The Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support based in Philadelphia is the contracting agency with the latest contract, which was announced by the DOD on May 15. It is a two-year base contract with three one-year option periods. The ordering period end date is May 15, 2026.
The U.S. military for several years has experimented and conducted research on developing adequate mobile landing solutions, within its own ranks and with commercial partners.
The Marines, for example, have Expeditionary Airfield Landing Systems teams from the Aircraft Launch and Recovery Program Office testing solutions “that will make Marines’ expeditionary landings easier and faster,” the Navy reported in 2022.
“We no longer have to bring in graders, bulldozers, or drafting and survey teams; lightweight matting conforms to the ground,” said one of the project leaders. “We can take away that whole aspect of heavy equipment and focus on moving towards the expeditionary goal of the Marine Corps.”
Troy Turner is the editor and senior consultant for AlaDefense.com. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Photo above courtesy of U.S. Navy.
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