> There was no shortage of TiO₂ in the US. But the article says that the US lacked the ore: “Back when they were building the airplane the United States didn’

> There was no shortage of TiO₂ in the US. But the article says that the US lacked the ore: “Back when they were building the airplane the United States didn’t have the ore supplies – an ore called rutile ore. It’s a very sandy soil and it’s only found in very few parts of the world.” Also, the Wikipedia link above doesn’t show the US to be major producer. It does show ex-Soviet block countries to be major producers. I mean, you might be right about importing the metal rather than ore. I’m commenting only about whether the ore is widely available in the US.