Paradigm Shift Technologies

America’s defense sector is stuck in a toxic relationship with chrome. For decades, chromium plating has been used inside gun barrels to reduce wear. But it erodes quickly under heavy fire, degrades accuracy, and leaves a toxic legacy behind.

When gun barrels fail, replacements take many months. Warfighters are left waiting while contractors continue supplying the same outdated technology. Despite mounting failures and billions wasted on replacements, the cycle continues—because broken barrels mean more business.

One cannot win a war with damaged barrels. Yet that is the reality on the ground, where outdated coatings put missions at risk and troops under pressure. What the industry needs isn’t a tweak—it needs a paradigm shift.

Paradigm Shift Technologies delivers exactly that. Its patented Enhanced Physical Vapor Deposition (EPVD^®) technology replaces chrome with a field-proven coating that dramatically extends barrel life, sharpens accuracy, and eliminates toxic materials. It’s not a patch—it’s a transformation.

A New Defense Against Wear, Erosion, and Inaccuracy

Paradigm Shift Technologies’ EPVD^® technology isn’t hypothetical—it’s field-proven. Validated by the U.S. Navy and Air Force, as well as the Canadian Army, it’s already pushing weapons systems beyond current limits: extending barrel life, increasing precision and rate of fire, and slashing the logistical burden tied to frequent replacements.

As U.S. Army General Darryl Williams said at the Fire Symposium, each howitzer deployed in Ukraine has needed 10 to 15 barrel replacements, putting an unsustainable burden on operational readiness and frontline effectiveness. This underscores that, despite advances in ammunition, barrel materials, and thermal management, weapons still falter under the same core flaw: a coating that can’t keep up.

The military already recognizes the problem, as evidenced by the fact that sniper rifles are never chrome-plated, specifically because chrome compromises precision. This exception highlights Paradigm Shift Technologies’ argument: if accuracy is important enough to eliminate chrome from sniper rifles, why should it be acceptable for other weapon systems?

EPVD^® changes the game entirely. Unlike incremental tweaks, Paradigm Shift Technologies’ coating technology represents a fundamental shift in how military equipment is treated. Its coating extends barrel life while eliminating carcinogenic chromium and its toxic footprint altogether. The coating withstands extreme thermal and mechanical stress, drastically reducing erosion and fatigue.

What does this mean on the ground? Longer-lasting barrels, tighter shot groupings, fewer malfunctions due to “cook-offs”—and ultimately, greater mission success with a lighter logistical burden.

“We are the only ones in the world who have successfully applied an alternative coating to the inside of commercial gun barrels, had them successfully field-tested, and proven to extend lifespan and improve the performance of current weapons systems,” says Gennady Yumshtyk, CEO of Paradigm Shift Technologies.

Built for Precision, Proven for the Future

Beyond extending the life of weapon systems, Paradigm Shift Technologies also tackles a major issue often overlooked: precision. Its coating technology creates a much smoother, more consistent surface inside components like gun barrels, resulting in less friction, less wear, and significantly greater accuracy over time.

Additionally, unlike traditional chromium, EPVD^® isn’t toxic. It’s fully compliant with EPA and REACH standards, making it both effective and environmentally responsible.

Extensive testing with military organizations worldwide has proven EPVD’s advantages. Paradigm Shift Technologies’ coatings have been shown to extend barrel life by up to 12 times and to dramatically improve the precision of weapons systems. For example, the U.S. Navy’s Advanced Gun System program successfully tested the company’s coatings, surpassing the initial target of a 50 percent improvement in barrel longevity—demonstrating that EPVD^® is a true game-changer in military technology.

Paradigm Shift Technologies is also expanding into the energy sector, applying its field-tested CoatAlloy^™ coatings to protect gas pipelines against corrosion. This move positions the company’s defense-grade technology at the heart of clean energy infrastructure, enhancing safety and sustainability.

Paradigm Shift Technologies offers more than just a better coating—it delivers a better future built on performance, sustainability, cost-effectiveness, and innovation. With a field-proven alternative to toxic chrome, the company is breaking the cycle that has held back performance for generations.