TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - MECHANICAL ENGINEERING - Preferred Airfoil: the airfoil surface comprises a stainless steel or a superalloy. The erosion-resistant coating comprises a layer of a ceramic or a cermet. The erosion-resistant coating is a ceramic comprising a metal oxide, nitride, carbide, boride, carbonitride, oxynitride, boronitride, diamond, diamond-like carbon, or a combination. The erosion-resistant coating comprises a layer of aluminum oxide (Al2O3), chromium oxide (Cr2O3), yttrium oxide (Y2O3), zirconium oxide (ZrO2), cesium oxide (CeO2), titanium oxide (TiO2), tantalum oxide (Ta2O5), TaO2, chromium carbide (Cr3C2), tungsten carbide (WC), titanium carbide (TiC), zirconium carbide (ZrC), boron carbide (B4C), diamond, diamond-like carbon, boron nitride (BN), titanium nitride (TiN), zirconium nitride (ZrN), hafnium nitride (HfN), chromium nitride (CrN), silicon nitride (Si3N4), aluminum nitride (AlN), titanium aluminum nitride (TiAlN), titanium aluminum chromium nitride (TiAlCrN), titanium chromium nitride (TiCrN), titanium zirconium nitride (TiZrN), titanium boride (TiB2), zirconium boride (ZrB2), chromium boride (Cr3B2), tungsten boride (W2B2), titanium carbon nitride (TiCN), chromium boron nitride (CrBN), titanium boron nitride (TiBN), tungsten carbide (WC)-cobalt (Co), WC-CoCr, WC-Ni, TiC-Ni, TiC-Fe, Ni(Cr)-Cr3C2, or TaC-Ni, or a combination. The erosion-resistant coating is a single layer of the ceramic or the cermet. The turbine compressor airfoil further comprises a layer of a metal disposed under the layer of the ceramic or the cermet. The erosion-resistant coating further comprises a set of metal layers and a set of ceramic or cermet layers. The metal layers and the ceramic or cermet layers have an alternating arrangement. The metal layers comprise Ti and the ceramic or cermet layers comprise titanium nitride (TiN) layers. The sacrificial coating is disposed on the airfoil surface and the erosion-resistant coating is disposed on the sacrificial coating. The erosion-resistant coating is disposed on the airfoil surface and the sacrificial coating is disposed on the erosion-resistant coating. The erosion-resistant coating comprises a layer of TiN or WCCoCr and the sacrificial coating comprises a layer of a conductive undercoat and an overcoat of an inorganic matrix binder having a set of ceramic particles and conductive particles embedded in it. The erosion-resistant coating comprises a layer of TiN or WCCoCr and the sacrificial coating comprises a layer of Al, Cr, Zn, an Ni-Al alloy, an Al-Si alloy, an Al-based alloy, a Cr-based alloy or a Zn-based alloy, an Al polymer composite, or a combination.