Aerospace

Aerospace is an industry defined by temperature. Jet engines run hotter every generation because higher turbine inlet temperatures mean better fuel efficiency and more thrust, and rocket engines operate at combustion temperatures that would vaporise most structural materials. Tungsten's melting point of 3,422 °C, the highest of any metal, is the property that anchors its role in flight. Combined with a density of 19.3 g/cm³, the lowest thermal expansion of any pure metal and exceptional stiffness, it is the material that engineers reach for when a component must hold its shape, mass and strength at the extremes of heat, load and vibration. From the superalloys inside a turbine to the throat of a solid rocket motor, tungsten is a quiet but non-negotiable part of what keeps aircraft and spacecraft operating.

Where tungsten is used

Turbine superalloy additions

Nickel- and cobalt-based superalloys used in turbine blades, vanes and discs commonly contain tungsten as a solid-solution strengthener. Tungsten raises the temperature at which the alloy retains creep resistance, allowing blades to survive thousands of hours at temperatures close to their melting point. Tungsten carbide and tungsten-based coatings also protect compressor and turbine surfaces from erosion and wear.

Counterweights, ballast and dampers

Control surfaces, rotor blades, landing gear and flight-control actuators all need precise balance mass in tight envelopes. Tungsten heavy alloy delivers that mass in roughly half the volume of lead and without lead's handling constraints, which is why it is standard in aileron and elevator counterweights, helicopter rotor balancing, gyroscopes and vibration dampers across commercial, business and military aviation.

Rocket nozzles and throats

Solid rocket motors and some tactical missile motors use tungsten and tungsten-infiltrated inserts in the nozzle throat, the point where exhaust gases are hottest and fastest. Tungsten's melting point and resistance to erosion keep the throat geometry stable through the burn, which directly determines thrust and accuracy. Tungsten alloys also appear in thrust-vectoring components and jet vanes.

Radiation shielding

Satellites and deep-space probes carry sensitive electronics through intense radiation environments. Tungsten's density makes it an effective gamma and X-ray shield in a fraction of the thickness of lead, which matters when every gram launched costs money. Tungsten shielding is also used in radioisotope power systems and in aircraft-mounted radiography equipment.

Cutting tools for titanium and nickel machining

Airframes and engines are machined from titanium alloys and nickel superalloys, two of the most difficult materials to cut. Cemented tungsten carbide tooling, often coated, is what makes that machining economically possible. Every airframe and engine programme consumes significant volumes of carbide inserts, end mills and drills.

Aerospace does not use tungsten in large tonnages, but it uses it in the places where failure is not an option. Supply certainty matters more here than price.

Why supply is the problem

China produces roughly four-fifths of the world's mined tungsten and dominates downstream processing into ammonium paratungstate, tungsten powder and carbide. In February 2025, China introduced export controls on tungsten products, requiring licences for shipments and tightening the flow of material to Western buyers. Tungsten prices rose substantially through 2025 as a result.

The United States has had no domestic primary tungsten mine production for several years and imports essentially all of its primary tungsten. Tungsten is on the U.S. Government's critical minerals list. For aerospace manufacturers with defense programmes, the FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act adds a hard constraint: from 2027, tungsten mined or processed in China, Russia, North Korea or Iran cannot be used in Department of Defense procurement. Aerospace primes and their suppliers must therefore qualify non-Chinese tungsten sources across superalloys, counterweights, nozzle components and tooling within a short window.

Qualification in aerospace is slow and expensive. Once a material source is approved for a flight-critical part, manufacturers are reluctant to change it, which means the companies that establish Western tungsten supply in the next few years are positioned for long-duration demand.

What it means for Gordon

Gordon Mining Group's Tungsten Tail Project in Sierra County, New Mexico, is a past-producing scheelite property on U.S. federal land. Historic shipments were recorded in 1942 and 1955, periods when U.S. aircraft and engine production drove urgent demand for domestic tungsten. Reported historical grades were in the range of 3 to 4 percent WO3, and earlier operators developed more than 300 metres of underground workings. No drilling has ever been recorded on the property.

Gordon's plan is to become the first company to drill Tungsten Tail, using the historic workings to guide targets and establish the geometry and extent of the scheelite-bearing structures. A U.S.-located tungsten project with a production history is directly relevant to an aerospace supply chain that must source outside China by 2027, and the lack of modern exploration means the property has never been tested with the tools available today.

Historical information presented here has not been verified by a Qualified Person and is not a current mineral resource. Systematic exploration, including a first drill programme, is required before any resource estimate can be considered.

Key takeaways

• Tungsten's 3,422 °C melting point, density and stiffness make it essential in superalloys, counterweights, rocket nozzles and shielding.
• Machining titanium and nickel airframe and engine components depends on tungsten carbide tooling.
• China produces roughly four-fifths of global tungsten and imposed export controls in February 2025; the U.S. has no primary mine production.
• From 2027, defense aerospace programmes cannot use Chinese-origin tungsten, forcing qualification of Western sources.
• Tungsten Tail is a past-producing scheelite property with reported historical grades of 3 to 4 percent WO3, no recorded drilling, and Gordon intends to be the first to drill it; historical data is unverified and not a current mineral resource.