US Army to expand production of 3D-printed parts for HMMWV vehicles
The service has produced a battery bracket but is seeking manufacturing partners to design other components.
EXCLUSIVE: How the Navy’s chief engineer sees 3D printing rebuilding the fleet
The proliferation of 3D printers, combined with loosened rules on using them, could change the way the Navy fixes its ships at sea, a top officer tells Breaking Defense.
Lockheed, Raytheon invest $12.5M in 3D printing firm Fortify
The company, just 55 employees strong, boasts a unique approach to additive manufacturing of lightweight, versatile composites well-suited to aerospace applications from fighter aircraft and drones to hypersonics.
HII gets Navy’s green light to expand use of 3D printed parts in shipyards
An HII executive told Breaking Defense the NAVSEA certification will open the door for other alloys to be approved for use.
General Atomics signs 3D printing agreement with automotive-focused startup Divergent
For something like a small UAS, “instead of taking years to develop [a design] it takes months, and instead of taking weeks to manufacture by laying out carbon fiber, we take hours to assemble," Divergent CEO Kevin Czinger told Breaking Defense.
Marines Test Killer Hovercraft, Wooden Glider & 3D Printers For The Battlefield
QUANTICO: A hovercraft that shoots salvoes of rockets. A speedboat that turns into a submarine. A mobile 3D printing factory. A big wooden box with wings (yes, really). And, of course, more drones than you can shake a stick at (because they swarm). These are just a few of the roughly 100 technologies the Marine […]
Mini-Drones & Bayonets: New Marine Warfare Concept
After a generation spent fighting guerrillas, the Marines have just rolled out a new concept for high-tech combat against a nation-state — a concept they’re developing in unusually close concert with the Army and Navy. “There’s a lot of Navy in it,” said Marine Corps Commandant Robert Neller, introducing the new Marine Corps Operating Concept […]
Boeing, Saab Unveil T-X Entry; Planes Go Straight To Production
ST. LOUIS: Boeing and Saab unveiled their long-awaited entry for the Air Force’s next generation trainer, known as T-X, an intriguing mix of Super Hornet and a Gripen. The plane is designed to go straight to production without passing through the conventional development stages of a military aircraft. While our colleagues at Aviation Week and […]
First Osprey Flight With Critical 3D Printed Part
It’s one small part for an aircraft engine, one giant leap for 3D printing. The Navy has announced a Marine MV-22 made the sea services’ first successful flight with a “flight critical” component built by additive manufacturing. Specifically, in the test at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, the Osprey’s engine nacelle contained a 3D printed titanium link, small […]
Cobra Gunships & 3D Printers: What Walters Means As Marine No. 2
WASHINGTON: Marine Corps commandant Gen. Robert Neller is getting a new wingman who should help him mightily in the budget wars. The appointment of Glenn “Bluto” Walters as the four-star assistant commandant of the Marine Corps is good news for helicopters and high-tech as well. Walters is a Cobra gunship pilot and technology enthusiast who […]
3D Printing Key To Hypersonic Weapons: Raytheon
UPDATED with independent analysis from ICFI ARLINGTON: The race is on to build hypersonic weapons, missiles that blow through a target’s defenses at more than five times the speed of sound. Or should that be “the race to grow hypersonic weapons”? It turns out an unrelated cutting-edge technology, 3D printing, may be the key to making hypersonics work. […]
Over Where? Army Struggles To Relearn Rapid Deployment
HUNTSVILLE, ALA: This morning, Army Chief of Staff Mark Milley warned Congress that “I have grave concerns” about the Army’s ability to respond to a major war — say, with Russia, Gen. Milley’s no. 1 threat — “in a timely manner.” Here in Huntsville, generals and executives explained a big part of the reason why. […]
Robot Boats, Smart Guns & Super B-52s: Carter’s Strategic Capabilities Office
WASHINGTON: Arsenal plane. It’s a great name, no? And the Hyper Velocity Projectile. Whoa. Fast flying swarming micro drones. Neat! There’s much more being developed, but it’s classified. Where is all this coming from? The Strategic Capabilities Office, or SCO for short. Defense Secretary Ash Carter talked up the new office in his 2017 budget preview speech […]