THE AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE INDUSTRY IS UNDER PRESSURE TO IMPLEMENT COST-EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVE METHODS FOR REMOVING PAINT FROM AIRCRAFT, IN RESPONSE TO THE INCREASINGLY STRINGENT ENVIRONMENTAL AND SAFETY RELATED REGULATIONS BEING ENACTED. RECENT ADVANCES IN MATERIAL AND DESIGN TECHNOLOGY ARE YIELDING ULTRA-HIGH PRESSURE WATERJET EQUIPMENT CAPABLE OF REMOVING THE TOUGHEST COATING FROM DELICATE SUBSTRATES WITHOUT DAMAGE. THIS PAPER PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF THE TECHNOLOGY USED TO DEVELOP WATER PRESSURES OF OVER 50,000 PSI (345 MPA), ALONG WITH SOME OF THE PERIPHERAL WATERJET EQUIPMENT CURRENTLY IN USE IN THE AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY.