The U.S. Army is exploring a future where front-line units can manufacture and deploy FPV drones on-demand, using mobile 3D printers to maintain drone production on the frontline.
During the recent Combined Resolve 25-02 exercise held in Germany, both U.S. and opposing force (OpFor) units were equipped with 3D printers as part of an Army initiative to evaluate whether FPV drones can be produced close to the battlefield in active combat conditions.
“Every unit right now that’s a [Transformation in Contact] TiC-based unit is trying to develop capabilities in-house to create these small UAS or FPV-style drones,” said Lt. Col. Dan Huff, commander of the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, which served as the OpFor during the exercise.
Huff’s unit operated two 3D printers at battalion headquarters, producing one-way attack drones and transporting them forward through logistics convoys. While effective in the exercise, the setup highlights the logistical and operational questions the Army is still working to resolve.
“It really drives the cost down, and it allows us to be more nimble,” Huff noted. “We don’t have to wait for something commercial off-the-shelf to be available.”
The 3D printing initiative is driven in part by the need to decentralize drone production and maintain tactical flexibility in large-scale combat operations, according to Col. Nick Ryan, director of the Army Capability Manager for Unmanned Aircraft Systems.
“We’re trying to figure out what right looks like when you’re in a large-scale combat operation and you’re always having to constantly jump and move because you could be targeted by the adversary,” Ryan said. “Is it really the right answer to have a brigade carrying around 3D printers in the back of a truck trying to print 100, 400, 500 of these things at a time?”
Ryan suggested a hybrid approach may be more viable, mass-producing drone bodies in rear-area facilities and forwarding components to smaller 3D printing and assembly cells closer to the front lines. These cells could finalize the builds and deliver drones to combat teams on demand.
“That’s kind of the process we’re thinking through,” Ryan said. “How does this look as an actual doctrinal, strategic process for us to actually fight with… in a large-scale combat operation?”
The 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division also participated in Combined Resolve, using a mix of 3D-printed and commercial drones as it transitioned its former Shadow drone platoon into an FPV drone unit.
While their 3D printers were stationed too far back to fully support fast-turn battlefield production, Col. Timothy Gatlin said the unit plans to refine the approach further during training back in the U.S.
“We still have some work to do on that [set up],” Gatlin said. “We’re going to bring it back here to home station and test it even more.”
The Army’s experimentation with frontline 3D printing seeks to enable adaptable, soldier-driven drone manufacturing practices. Such practices could prove critical in future conflicts given the reliance on FPV drones that has been observed in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict.
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Post Image: A civilian working with the EagleWERX Applied Tactical Innovation Center repairs a small-unmanned aircraft system on Oct. 10, 2024, at Fort Campbell, Ky (Post Image Credit: U.S. Army)
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