What project BL1 buys
This project links materials research, manufacturing processes, and design to enable high quality additive manufacturing products for Army applications through the development of high-performance feedstock materials (polymers, metals, and ceramics), physics-based process models, and in-situ process monitoring. Integration of these tools with process models enables real-time control and manipulation of material structure and properties to produce three-dimensional hybrid electronics packaging, power and energy sources and converters and new materials/structures for protection. The goal of this work is to develop robust physics-based models to optimize material properties, structures, and manufacturing processes for Army applications in protection, maneuver, power, sensing, and signature management necessary to rapidly respond to emerging and unknown threats in a battlefield environment. This work is done in coordination with Program Element (PE) 0602145A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Technology), 0602143A (Soldier Lethality Technology) and 0603118A (Soldier Lethality Advanced Technology). Work in this project is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL)
Project BL1 funding, FY2025–FY2031
Prior years are actuals, the budget year is the request, and the outyears are the FYDP plan. Estimate types are colored and never summed into one figure. Projects carry the full five-year plan; the activities inside them stop at the budget year.
| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 10.0 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 5.8 |
| FY2027 | Request | 18.5 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 17.3 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 16.6 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 16.4 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 16.4 |
5 accomplishments / planned programs
The R-2A exhibit — the only level of the budget that describes work that has not happened yet. Activities carry the prior, current and budget year only, no five-year plan. 1 of them describes FY2027 work in enough detail to have its own page; the rest are shown here in full. Coverage is partial across the corpus, so count activities, never total them.
Will assess performance of standardized cylindrical energy storage cells produced with industry partner at extreme low temperature (-20 deg C to -60 deg C) as well as effects on ambient and elevated temperatures (up to 60 deg C) performance and stability; explore integration of low temperature capable cells into experimental battery…
Read the FY2027 plan →FY2027 planned work Will design and develop advanced manufacturing methodologies, including additive manufacturing and novel feedstock development to support on-demand, novel manufacturing and enhancing a resilient supply chain; design and develop advanced manufacturing science for high throughput and complex geometries; design and develop lightweight survivability technologies for conventional kinetic and non-kinetic threats as well as emerging threats (unmanned aerial systems, high energy weapons, etc.); investigate materials to protect from directed energy weapons; design and develop lightweight, damage resistant, transparent armor materials and data-driven processing methodologies for personnel and sensor…
FY2026 to FY2027 change This is not a new start effort. FY 2027 funding increase reflects the consolidation of other ongoing efforts within this project from Additive Manufacturing Research and Novel Armor Materials and Processes for Vehicle Protection to support the creation of Advanced Manufacturing Research for Supply Chain Resilience.
FY2027 planned work Will research highly efficient catalysts for solid oxide fuel cells stable against sulfur contaminants.
FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding increase is an economic adjustment.
FY2026 plans — current year Will research advanced electrolytes and interfaces for high energy rechargeable lithium-ion batteries; investigate high voltage electrolyte, cathodes, and different pairing combinations of each with high capacity anodes; explore electrode processing methods and effects of loading, additives, and material microstructure, to include process-induced changes on heterogeneity and ordering effects on electrode performance; determine electrolyte formulation to improve battery lifetime; determine physical, chemical and electrochemical properties of electrode-electrolyte interphase layer formation and stability, and methods of optimization for longer battery life; investigate advanced anodes and…
FY2025 accomplishments Identify and assess electrolytes compatible with silicon anode batteries to optimize cycle life, charge rate, thermal stability, and low temperature performance; determine the failure modes of chemically modified silicon anodes and the stability as a function of utilization and pressure; investigate the origin of safety issues in both graphite and silicon anode high energy battery cells that are new and have been recharged many times; investigate thermal behavior of Lithium (Li)-ion battery cells at elevated temperatures; investigate the thermal stability of low cobalt or cobalt free high energy battery cathodes; assess Li-ion battery cells using oxide and rock-salt based anodes…
FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding decrease reflects realignment to Advanced Manufacturing Research for Supply Chain Resilience within this project.
FY2026 plans — current year Will mature components for printed fragmentation munition casing of novel metal alloys for active protection and optimize conversion of casing-to-fragmentation for increased lethality; continue to design and develop advanced manufacturing feedstock alloys and develop recycled feedstocks suitable for advanced manufacturing; mature high strength alloys and lightweight/ultra-high strength alloys for protection; mature processing and materials technologies for cost effective lightweighting of indirect fire platforms.
FY2025 accomplishments Assess printed fragmenting munition casing of novel metal alloys for active protection and explore improved conversion of casing-to-fragmentation to increase lethality; develop advanced manufacturing feedstock alloys and explore recycled feedstocks for advanced manufacturing; investigate controlled warhead fragmentation methods and develop methods to tailor fragmentation patterns; assess ultra-high strength steel and high strength/lightweight alloys for vehicle protection; investigate novel methods of creating controlled warhead fragmentation for higher energy density munition propulsion and consistent burn performance; develop and mature materials and processes for cost effective light…
FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding decrease reflects realignment to Advanced Manufacturing Research for Supply Chain Resilience within this project.
FY2026 plans — current year Will design and develop lightweight armor for conventional kinetic and non-kinetic threats as well as emerging threats (unmanned aerial systems, high energy weapons, etc.); design and develop materials to protect from directed energy weapons; design and develop lightweight, damage resistant, transparent armor materials and data-driven processing methodologies for personnel and sensor protection; design and develop materials and processes for ground vehicle propulsion systems; investigate and determine evolving threats to guide materials design concept for non-conventional scenarios and emerging technologies.
FY2025 accomplishments Continue work restructured from PE 0602145A, Project BI4 Materials Application and Integration Tech, to develop lightweight, low cost, damage resistant transparent armor glass/polymer laminates with optical transmissivity at wavelengths suitable for personnel and sensor protection; assess transparent armor material processing methodologies; develop new materials or laminates for vehicle and sensor protection; assess performance of dissimilar material joints (welded, solid state, adhesively joined) under high rate/complex loading conditions; design and develop weldable high toughness, high hard steel armor plate; assess novel metals for ground vehicle propulsion systems.