The U.S. Army is 3D-printing drones and repairing them — will soon have the capability to make 'the vast majority' in-house

Threat Status, a podcast hosted by the Washington Times, recently interviewed Lieutenant General Chris Mohan, Deputy Commanding General and Acting Commander of US Army Materiel Command. It was in this conversation that we got a neat inside look at how the US Army is looking to implement both 3D printing and drones into their modernization strategies.

According to Mohan, the US Army is no stranger to producing its own drones in-house. The plug-and-play nature of modern 3D printing has brought the manufacturing process closer to what Mohan describes as the tactical edge. With 3D printers deployed on the front lines, troops can now print a huge myriad of components whenever they need them most.

The files provided clarify the model of printer used to test the design and also include recommended settings to get the best results possible when printing. 3D printing a drone from scratch just requires the right file (or files). From there, it's just a matter of tweaking your g-code settings when slicing the file for printing and making sure your printer is good to go.

The implementation of 3D printing in the Army also makes it easy to replace components after a crash. Mohan suggested propellers and rotor blades as prime examples. Of course, it goes without saying that this versatility extends to a wider variety of categories outside of drone support, as individuals can print anything they might need.

Mohan also mentions the ability to 3D print replacement parts nearby and deliver them to troops on the front lines using drones. This shows the strong relationship the two technologies share in the modern battlefront.

According to Mohan, the US government is hoping to expand its UAS factory plan with a new proposal. This is a centralized location in which the Army can 3D print drone bodies, etc. However, Mohan suggests they want to expand the support to include electronic components, as well, like motors. This would keep production as domestic as possible and reduce reliance on third-party suppliers for critical components.

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