High temperature applications demand materials that have a variety of properties such as high strength, toughness, creep resistance, fatigue resistance, as well as resistance to degradation by their interaction with the environment. All potential metallic materials are unstable in many high temperatures environments without the presence of a protective coating on the component surface. High temperature alloys derive their resistance to degradation by forming and maintaining a continuous protective oxide surface layer that is slow-growing, very stable, and adherent.
Propulsion materials for both Naval aircraft and ship gas turbine engines are subjected to the corrosive environment of the sea to differing degrees. Increasing fuel efficiency and platform capabilities require higher operating temperatures that may lead to new degradation modes of coatings and materials. Fuel contaminants or the lack of contaminants from alternative synthetic fuels may also strongly influence coating and/or materials performance which, in turn, can adversely affect the life in these propulsion or auxiliary gas turbine engines.  This paper will dwell on some past results of materials testing and offer some views on future directions into materials research in high temperature materials in aggressive environments that will lead to new advanced propulsion materials for the VAATE program.