The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is shown participating in a strait transit exercise with in 2007 [Photo: U.S. Navy]
Dallas-based ATI (NYSE: ATI)—a global producer of high-performance materials and solutions for aerospace, defense, and speciality energy markets—is extending its decades-long commitment to support the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program with a new agreement running through fiscal year 2030.
The extended agreement with Virginia-based BWX Technologies (NYSE: BWXT) is only the latest move by ATI to support the nuclear propulsion program, which has responsibility for all aspects of the U.S. Navy’s nuclear-powered warships. ATI said noted that its leadership in manufacturing specialty materials used in nuclear applications “spans nearly seven decades, dating back to some of the U.S. Navy’s first nuclear-powered submarines.”
Kimberly A. Fields, ATI board chair, president, and CEO [Photo: Jen Baker Worley Photography/ATI]
Kimberly A. Fields, ATI’s president, board chair, and CEO, noted her company’s long partnership with BWX Technologies, saying that for more than 40 years, “ATI has delivered advanced materials that enable naval systems built by BWXT to operate with unmatched performance, reliability, and protection.”
“We’re honored to extend our partnership, helping to provide a decisive advantage for a technologically superior naval force,” she added in a statement.
In May, BWXT announced that it had received an award of U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program contracts totaling more than $1.4 billion
Follows earlier contract with Bechtel Plant Machinery
BWXT isn’t ATI’s only partner in the effort. In 2023, was awarded a contract from Bechtel Plant Machinery to engineer components supporting the nuclear propulsion program. To fulfill the contract, ATI set out to open a state-of-the-art additive manufacturing facility near Fort Lauderdale, Florida. “Within one facility, we’re combining the latest additive and advanced manufacturing technologies and ATI’s novel powder alloys,” Fields said in 2023.
Fields, who joined ATI in 2019, was promoted to president and COO in June 2023 and took up the CEO post in 2024. She added the title of board chair in May at the conclusion of ATI’s 2026 annual meeting.
Nuclear-powered subs and aircraft carriers demand ‘cradle-to-grave’ responsibility
The U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program is charged with maintaining “cradle-to-grave” responsibility for the research, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and eventual disposal of all nuclear reactors used in U.S. Navy submarines and aircraft carriers, according to the Department of Energy.
The program’s efforts are pursued by both civilian and military personnel who design, build, operate, maintain, and manage the nuclear-powered ships and other facilities of the U.S. nuclear-powered naval fleet—including nearly 8,000 engineers, scientists, technicians, and support personnel.
ATI, which describes itself as the world’s largest producer of specialty materials, said it combines deep materials science expertise with proprietary process technologies to deliver highly engineered materials “essential to BWXT’s mission” on the nuclear propulsion program.
ATI is a strategic defense partner across air, land, sea, and missile platforms. The company said it provides high-performance titanium, nickel-based alloys, and specialty materials “that power and protect next-generation systems in the most demanding environments.”
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