By Troy Turner
Enterprise, Alabama-based ALFAB Inc. has garnered a nearly $121 million contract to provide and service specialized mats used by the Marine Corps for landing aircraft and other purposes on unstable terrain.
The Department of Defense on Monday announced the contract, which calls for production and delivery of up to 6,740 so-called Airfield Matting 2 (AM2) packages, and refurbishment of up to 1,400 AM2 packages, “in support of expeditionary airfields for the Marine Corps.”
The work will be performed at ALFAB’s facilities in Enterprise and is expected to be completed by April 2030.
Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting agency.
ALFAB won a similar, $59 million contract almost a year ago for specialized mats to be used by the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.
The Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support based in Philadelphia is the contracting agency with that agreement, which was announced by the DOD on May 15, 2024, as a two-year base contract with three one-year option periods and an end date is May 15, 2026.
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 materials state. “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 made by the company 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 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]. His bio can be found here.
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