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 DoW 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 DoW use.
Areas of interest are provided in the following sections.
Repair and Maintenance
Alternative Chemicals and Materials. Demonstrate and validate alternative chemicals and materials for application in weapons systems and platforms.
- A systems approach involving improved methodologies to join dissimilar materials and improved methodologies to reduce exposure of corrosion susceptible alloys to corrosive environments
- Low-tech solutions to reduce corrosion in remote and contested logistics locations
- Fluids and lubricants
- Fire-retardant materials and composites
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 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 DoW 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 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 meet refrigerant chemical regulation requirements 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 (F3) Formulations. Demonstrate and validate 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 effective upon dilution with saltwater.
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 DoW relevant environments, while reducing or eliminating air and water emissions and hazardous waste generation from training activities.
Critical Minerals
Recycling. Identify DoW waste streams that can be utilized, and demonstrate and validate technologies to recover critical minerals, such as Ta, Nb, and rare earth elements.
Alternatives. Demonstrate and validate alternative materials that reduce or eliminate the use of critical minerals while meeting application requirements.
Other
Demonstrate and validate other alternative 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 in Remote and Contested Logistics Locations
- Innovative Technology Transfer Approaches
