The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) Carrier Strike Group returns home this weekend following a record-setting 11-month deployment supporting high-tempo combat and maritime security operations, including Operation Epic Fury. USS Bainbridge (DDG-96) used PlasmaBlast systems onboard throughout the deployment, providing Sailors with an operationally proven, TRL-9 capability designed specifically for precision corrosion removal and preservation in difficult shipboard areas, including watertight closures, blast doors, flight deck structures, and localized running rust. The results are evident in the function and appearance of the ship.
This use of cutting-edge yet easy-to-use surface preparation technology directly supports the Navy’s broader readiness, sustainment, and shipbuilding initiatives focused on extending fleet service life, improving operational availability, and enhancing conditions for the Sailors maintaining America’s warships every day. Feedback from U.S. Navy Boatswain’s Mates onboard consistently highlighted the system’s lower noise levels, reduced vibration exposure, and decreased physical strain compared to traditional pneumatic needle guns historically used across the fleet. Ship leadership recognizes the schedule benefits and increased man-hour capacity.
North Carolina-based Atmospheric Plasma Solutions (APS) is a small business with TRL-9, SBIR Phase III systems. PlasmaBlast maintains NAVSEA Technical Warrant Holder (TWH) approval for use on U.S. Navy surface ships, aircraft carriers, and submarines. APS is prepared and ready to support the surface fleet, submarines, and public yards. APS was a 2022 Office of the Secretary of Defense (R&E) Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT) awardee and the 2023 Department of Defense Maintenance Innovation Challenge award winner.
As national attention continues to focus on fleet readiness, ship maintenance backlogs, and the visible impact of corrosion across operational warships, APS represents American ingenuity and small-business innovation that can deliver technology to support the Navy’s maintenance enterprise. At a time when national leaders continue emphasizing the importance of rebuilding readiness and “busting the rust” across the fleet, PlasmaBlast provides deployed ships with a complementary capability that enables Sailors to address corrosion earlier, reduce long-term maintenance burdens, and help keep warships looking and operating the way the American people expect from the United States Navy.
