Lockheed seeks US critical mineral supplies

Lockheed Martin, the world's largest defense contractor, is in talks to secure supplies of scandium and germanium from U.S. and Canadian sources, as President Donald Trump pressures defense contractors to reduce reliance on China. Lockheed is negotiating with NioCorp Developments for scandium and with Teck Resources and 5N Plus for germanium. NioCorp has signed a preliminary deal to supply 15 metric tons of scandium per year from its planned Nebraska mine, which is expected to open by 2028. The germanium negotiations have been ongoing for over a year, with pricing and contract length as sticking points. These efforts follow Trump's executive order in July that made it harder for defense contractors to obtain waivers to buy minerals from China and other prohibited suppliers. The U.S. has not mined scandium since 1969, and imports more than half of its germanium needs. The deals aim to build domestic supply chains but face challenges from cheaper Chinese prices and limited U.S. processing capacity.