Antimony – Strategic Use in Defence Applications

Antimony is classified as a Critical Mineral due to its essential role in national security, defence manufacturing, and munitions systems. Its primary defence use is in the production of antimony trioxide and antimony alloys, which are vital for ammunition, explosives, and high-performance military materials. Antimony is a key hardening and stabilising agent in lead-antimony alloys used in bullets, armour-piercing rounds, and artillery shells, providing improved ballistic performance, heat resistance, and structural integrity.

Beyond munitions, antimony compounds are used in flame-retardant formulations for military uniforms, aircraft, naval vessels, and electronic systems—enhancing fire resistance and survivability. It is also increasingly required in advanced defence electronics, including infrared detectors, semiconductors, and certain specialty solders used in secure communications and missile guidance systems.

Due to limited global supply—with over 75% of the world’s antimony sourced from China—secure, Western-aligned supply of antimony is considered critical for defence readiness and strategic autonomy.

Historic and Near-Term Development Potential

Palmerville includes multiple historic mining operations that ceased due to past economics rather than resource depletion. With global demand for critical and defence minerals at record highs, there is strong potential to re-establish Antimony production, alongside identified deposits from aerial magnetic survey, providing opportunity for development across the tenement package.