The objective of this Topic Area is to seek proposals to demonstrate and validate technologies to reduce the environmental impact and toxicity issues of production, maintenance, repair, operation, and demilitarization of DoD weapons systems and platforms. Proposals should identify the particular baseline technology used, the magnitude of the technology, laboratory results that indicate promise of the proposed alternative technology, and methodologies to demonstrate and validate the alternative’s performance, cost, and ability to be scaled to Department of Defense (DoD) use.  

Areas of interest include the following: 

Repair and Maintenance 

Alternative Chemicals and Materials. Demonstrate and validate environmentally sustainable chemicals and materials for application in weapons systems and platforms.  

• A systems approach to reduce corrosion and wear of susceptible alloys 
• Solvents for use in cleaning, surface activation, and adhesive, sealant, and coating application and removal
• Composites, including fire-retardant composites
• Fluids and lubricants 

Alternative Processes. Demonstrate and validate processes that eliminate or reduce the generation or use of hazardous or toxic materials. These include improved methodologies to join dissimilar materials and improved methodologies to reduce exposure of corrosion-susceptible alloys to corrosive environments. Additionally, improved sustainable methods for cleaning and treating surfaces are relevant. 

Alternative Inspection Methodologies. Demonstrate and validate new technologies for the inspection of weapons systems that would reduce the requirement for maintenance and overhaul. Because the potential benefit to the environment through inspection techniques is indirect, letters of support for the inspection technique by the DoD or prime contractors are highly recommended in the proposal.  

Monitoring and Control of Emissions. Demonstrate and validate technologies to detect and monitor hazardous materials used in industrial processes as well as the technologies to control the release of these materials into the environment. 

Energetics 

Alternative Materials. Demonstrate and validate new propellants, pyrotechnics, and explosive materials or formulations that reduce or eliminate the release of toxic materials into the environment.  

Alternative Manufacturing Processes. Demonstrate and validate environmentally benign synthesis and production processes for energetic materials and munitions. 

Monitoring and Control of Emissions. Demonstrate and validate technologies to detect, monitor, and control hazardous materials used in munitions manufacturing. 

Demilitarization of Energetic Materials. Demonstrate and validate closed disposal technologies to demilitarize energetic materials or ordnance as alternatives to open burning and open detonation. 

Refrigeration 

Alternative Materials. Demonstrate and validate refrigerants that reduce or eliminate global warming potential while reducing or eliminating flammability associated with any refrigeration fluids used.   

Alternative Processes. Demonstrate and validate refrigeration technologies that greatly reduce amounts of refrigerants used or do not use refrigerants at all. 

Firefighting 

Fluorine-Free Foam Formulations. Demonstration and validation of F3 formulations with significantly improved firefighting performance in terms of extinguishment time and burn back resistance relative to current F3 formulations on the qualified product list for MIL-PRF-32725 or that can be diluted in salt water.  

Equipment. Demonstrate and validate equipment to improve the effectiveness of F3 formulations according to MIL-PRF-32725. 

Training. Demonstrate and validate mature firefighting training methodologies to simulate live fire training with foam on liquid pool fires. Training methodologies should reflect realistic threats in DoD relevant environments, while reducing or eliminating air and water emissions and hazardous waste generation from training activities.  

Other 

Demonstrate and validate other pollution prevention and sustainable technologies that directly impact weapons systems and platforms.  

For FY26, ESTCP has issued three topic areas for the Weapons Systems and Platforms program area through a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) to the private sector as well as one topic area of general interest:  

• Prototype Alternative Technologies for Demilitarization of Energetics
• Alternative Cleaning Methods and Solvents for Weapons Systems and Platforms Maintenance Activities 
• Demonstration and Validation of Corrosion Mitigation Solutions
• Innovative Technology Transfer Approaches