AML3D Ltd (ASX: AL3) shares are on the move on Tuesday morning.
In early trade, the ASX defence stock is up 22% to 16.5 cents.
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Why is this ASX defence stock jumping today?
The company's shares are charging higher following the release of an announcement from the metal additive manufacturing company.
According to the release, AML3D has secured an order worth approximately $9.9 million from the largest military shipbuilder in the United States.
The ASX defence stock notes that the order has been placed by Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS), which is a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE: HII). It is the largest military shipbuilder in the United States and delivers ships, aircraft carriers, submarines, and defence technologies.
The order is for four custom large-scale ARCEMY X 6700 additive manufacturing systems.
Once delivered, the purchase will bring the total number of ARCEMY X systems deployed at Newport News Shipbuilding to six.
AML3D advised that the systems will be supplied from its U.S. Technology Center in Ohio. All four additional units are expected to be installed and operational during the third quarter of FY 2027.
What is ARCEMY?
The ARCEMY systems that have been ordered are custom systems based on the large scale ARCEMY X 6700 but using a ~11,000kg positioner to create a heavy capacity build capability.
They are used for advanced metal additive manufacturing and will support a variety of shipbuilding applications. This includes the fabrication and replacement of ship components for U.S. Navy contracts.
Management highlighted that increasing the use of ARCEMY technology in U.S. Navy programs is a key part of the company's growth strategy. The ASX defence stock's CEO, Sean Ebert, said:
The step change in the size and value of this HII ARCEMY order is very much reflective of the strong and growing demand signals that underpin AML3D's continued expansion into the U.S. defense market. It is also a strong endorsement of our U.S. 'Scale up' strategy which included establishing our U.S. Technology Center in Stow Ohio and our plans to invest $12 million to expand our U.S. production capabilities.
Not only do we expect to see a continued growth in U.S. defense orders we are also looking to continue to expand into other sectors. We have already successfully supplied ARCEMY technology to the Tennessee Valley Authority, the largest public utility in the U.S., and are targeting growth across the U.S. Marine, Energy, Aerospace and Oil & Gas sectors. In addition, we are seeing the emergence of early-stage demand in our UK and European markets that is similar to the demand signals that are driving our success in the U.S.
