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- USAF-96 is a high-strength, high-performance, low-alloy, low-cost steel, developed for new generation of bunker buster type bombs, e.g. the Massive Ordnance Penetrator and the improved version of the GBU-28 bomb known as . It was developed by the US Air Force at the Eglin Air Force Munitions Directorate. It uses only materials domestic to the USA. In particular it requires no tungsten. The development of this steel was directed to find a low-cost replacement for strong and tough but expensive superalloy steels such as , Aermet-100, , and . A high-performance casing material is required so the weapon survives the high impact speeds required for deep penetration. The material has a wide range of other applications, from missile parts and tank bodies to machine parts. An earlier material, Eglin steel, ES-1, resolved these issues but the tungsten used in it was expensive, difficult to melt, and the resulting tungsten carbide particles made the material difficult to process in thick sections. However, the tungsten also gave ES-1 excellent high-temperature strength. These materials can be less expensive because they can be ladle-refined. They do not require vacuum processing. Unlike some other high-performance alloys, they can be welded easily, broadening the range of applications. Also, these formulas use roughly half as much nickel as other superalloys, substituting silicon to help with toughness and particles of vanadium carbide (and for ES-1, tungsten carbide) for additional hardness and high-temperature strength. The materials also use chromium, some molybdenum and low to medium amounts of carbon, which contribute to the materials' strength and hardness. (en)
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