Future Platform Materials Program

The objective of the Future Platform Materials (FPM) Program is to advance the Technical Readiness Level of advanced ferrous alloy systems identified as candidates for transition to future naval platforms. The primary role of this program is technical: to collaborate with entities within the government and in industry to plan, generate, and provide data necessary to evaluate ship impacts of new structural materials, provide data necessary to fulfill material certification requirements, and evaluate the trade space for materials in various applications both shipboard and for application to other stakeholder platforms.

In pursuit of these goals, the joint mission of the FPM program participants is to evaluate and characterize production scalability of next-generation structural steel systems, identify industrial production gaps for each alloy system that will need to be addressed to initiate certification activities and inform follow on prototyping efforts, and develop draft procurement specifications for applicable product forms including castings, forgings, plate, and welding consumables.

Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division
October 2026

For over a century, the NSWC Carderock Division has been at the forefront of technologies vital to the success of the U.S. Navy and Maritime Industry. The Carderock Division consists of approximately 2,000 scientists, engineers and support personnel working in more than 40 disciplines ranging from fundamental science to applied/in-service engineering. We are the Navy’s experts for maritime technology. The Division houses world-class facilities and laboratories. Carderock’s Headquarters is located in West Bethesda, Maryland. The Division also conducts research and development at several remote sites across the country.