How One Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Company is Changing the Industry in 2026 and Beyond
When I founded Veteran Equipment Sales, I did not set out to simply sell products to the aerospace and defense community. I set out to solve problems that had gone unaddressed for far too long. Problems that were not just operational inconveniences but genuine threats to the health and safety of the men and women maintaining our nation’s aircraft, industrial, and military equipment. Today, VES has become a recognized force for change in the aircraft paint and blast hangar space, and the pace of that change is only accelerating.
The Problem We Set Out to Solve
Hexavalent Chromium, commonly known as Hex Chrome or Cr(VI), is one of the most hazardous substances found in aerospace maintenance environments. Present in many primers and coatings applied to aircraft and military equipment, exposure has been linked to lung cancer, nasal damage, and a range of serious health conditions. For the men and women working in paint booths and blast hangars every day, this is not an abstract regulatory concern. It is a daily occupational reality.
When I looked at how the industry was addressing this challenge, I saw a significant gap between what was possible and what was actually being done. Detection methods were cumbersome and impractical for field use. Chemical treatment options were limited and frequently generated their own hazardous waste streams. And the equipment being sold to protect workers ranged from genuinely effective to dangerously inadequate, with buyers often unable to tell the difference. That gap is where VES was built.
Introducing the Hex Buster™ Product Line
One of our flagship contributions is the Hex Buster™ product line, a family of green chemistry solutions engineered to neutralize Hexavalent Chromium on contact by converting it to its far safer trivalent form. This is not a masking agent or a temporary suppression solution. The formulation produces a genuine chemical conversion, rendering Hex Chrome essentially harmless without generating toxic secondary waste. It can be applied to contaminated surfaces, tools, PPE, waste streams, and common work areas, making it practical for both depot level facilities and forward operating locations. Facilities that previously struggled to demonstrate Hex Chrome compliance are now able to do so with confidence.
A New Standard in Detection: HexDetex™
Detection is the first line of defense in any Hex Chrome management program, and yet for years the options available to field personnel were too slow, too complicated, or too expensive for practical daily use. HexDetex™ changes that. Our proprietary detection kits are designed to be fast, intuitive, and accurate, putting verification of Hexavalent Chromium presence directly in the hands of the people who need it most. Each kit provides approximately 25 applications, compared to the 10 application alternatives currently on the market, delivering significantly more value at a lower overall cost. HexDetex™ is currently moving through final packaging with distribution availability anticipated in the near term.
Modernizing the Air Shower: The Tempest Cat II and WindDraft™ Technology
VES has invested heavily in rethinking one of the most critical pieces of infrastructure in any finishing environment: the personnel air shower. For decades the standard had barely evolved. That changed when VES incorporated WindDraft™ technology into its Tempest Cat II, developed in direct cooperation with NIOSH engineers. Our Tempest Cat II achieves over 85% dust removal in just 18 seconds, a performance standard no conventional air shower comes close to matching. A balanced 2,500 CFM airflow system maintains consistent negative pressure throughout the entire cleaning cycle. Dual stage filtration, beginning with MERV 8 pre-filters and followed by medical grade HEPA filters achieving 99.99% efficiency at 0.3 microns, far exceeds single stage systems. Built on steel skids for portability with fully modular construction, the Tempest Cat II can be disassembled, relocated, and reinstalled without compromising performance. No other manufacturer can offer the technical credibility that comes from active NIOSH engineer involvement in the development process.
Engineering Safety Into Every Detail
If there is one thing that separates VES from every other manufacturer in this space, it is our uncompromising commitment to engineering genuine safety into every piece of equipment we produce. Every door across the VES product line is double gasketed, creating a redundant barrier that maintains containment integrity as equipment ages. Our ventilation systems exceed the ACGIH requirement of 20 air changes per minute. Our Raptor and Viper series blast cabinets incorporate true vertical filter positioning, improving efficiency and extending filter life. Our blast booth enclosures use an overlapping panel design that creates a physical barrier against dust escape. And our dust collector lower hoppers feature sealed slide gates as standard, controlling discharge and protecting workers from airborne contamination. Every component has been examined through the lens of what could go wrong and how we can engineer a better solution.
Looking Ahead
The aircraft paint and blast hangar industry is at an inflection point. Regulatory pressure is increasing. Workforce health awareness is growing. And the technology available to address these challenges has never been more capable. The organizations that invest in the right solutions today will be the ones that lead this industry into its next chapter.
At VES, we are not waiting for that future to arrive. We are building it. Every product we engineer, every customer we serve, and every standard we help establish moves this industry closer to a place where the people maintaining our aircraft, industrial, and military equipment can do so without sacrificing their health.
Article can be found on the Aerospace & Defense Review website at: https://www.aerospacedefensereview.com/innovation-insight/innovation-in-aircraft-paint-and-blast-hangars-how-one-servicedisabled-veteran-owned-company-cid-1896
