Joint Munitions Advanced Technology

U.S. weapons systems still largely rely on decades-old explosive and propellant technologies that limit Joint Force options to deter, and if necessary, defeat adversaries in conflict. The Energetics Technology project was established to expedite investigation, research, and transition of novel energetics materials, chemicals, and processes that enable improvements to existing and future munitions performance. The investments and efforts under this project enable modern manufacturing and processing while helping to bolster U.S. energetics supply chain resiliency. The Joint Enhanced Munitions Technology Program, Services, and OUSW(R&E) munitions stakeholders collaborate to generate technology roadmaps for advanced energetic research and development that include high-energy materials, such as Hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20), and missile delivered submunitions and payloads.

The Enhanced Munitions Advanced Technology project demonstrates advanced technologies that improve the performance, range, and lethality of existing and future weapons systems. This effort takes promising technologies demonstrated at the laboratory scale and matures them into demonstration programs with a focus on operationally relevant key munitions. Enhanced Munitions technologies that are matured and demonstrated in relevant environments to inform service requirements and transition into products for operational use, thereby decreasing program executive office program cost and risk. In FY 2026, the project continues the development of critical munitions technologies, such as advanced materials and designs, fuzing, power sources, seeker technologies, and counter countermeasure technologies that, when combined with advanced energetics, provide significant performance enhancements in range, speed, and target damage effects. This project applies machine learning, artificial intelligence, and advanced material technologies to inform and refine research efforts and enable next-generation kinetic weapons capabilities, including advances in propulsion, warhead effects, fuze technologies, and targeting technologies. The Munitions Advanced Technology project continues to address the critical munitions technologies and transition into munitions manufacturing base at scale with the following enhancements. Increases in weapon range and run time require higher energy density power sources for guidance, seekers, and other subsystems. Lethality increases are not only dependent on advanced energetics, but also depend on optimized munitions placement, burst point control, and survivable fuzing. Operations in highly contested scenarios also require technical resiliency, with systems capable of defeating adversary kinetic and non-kinetic countermeasures.

The Energetics Maturation project continues investments in FY 2027 of Hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20) advanced energetics development and formulation scale-up for incorporation into weapon systems.