The Commonwealth is, for example, the world’s largest producer of titanium, an indispensable component in aircraft. Given the worldwide interest in titanium, the titanium market (Fig. 2) is expected to grow 40-50% over the next five years alone. The military consumption of titanium (Table 1) is an example of how this growth will take place – in aircraft, in naval vessels, in armor and even in field-artillery pieces where weight reduction and increased firepower are areas of huge importance.
 
The Commonwealth is also one of the world’s biggest producers of cobalt – a key component in aircraft engines – along with Canada, Australia, Cuba and several countries in Africa. By contrast, the U.S. doesn’t produce any of its own cobalt. In addition, Russia has huge aluminum and vanadium reserves (Fig. 3).