From reconnaissance to strike missions, 3D-printed drones are moving from the factory floor to the front lines. Across the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, and allied forces, additive manufacturing is enabling soldiers to build, repair, and adapt UAVs exactly where and when they are needed. Here are some of the most compelling examples.
Developed by a team within the U.S. Marine Corps, HANX is the first fully 3D-printed drone to comply with National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) requirements. Designed with security in mind, all components are free from restricted or potentially compromised technologies, a key condition for deployment within U.S. military systems. Built as a modular platform, HANX can be 3D printed, modified, and repaired directly by Marines, allowing it to be quickly adapted for different missions, including reconnaissance, training, logistics, and low-cost strike operations. Developed in just 90 days through multiple iterations, the drone received interim flight authorization from Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), marking a key milestone for additive manufacturing within the Marine Corps.
Widowmaker is a 3D-printed device designed for dropping munitions from drones. While the exact process remains unspecified, it was produced using commercial 3D printers, likely desktop FFF systems. This device was mounted on a PDW C-100 drone platform and tested by U.S. soldiers. This allows them to launch M67 fragmentation grenades, training ammunition, and smoke grenades’all with greater precision and speed than before. What’s interesting is that Widowmaker was designed entirely in-house by soldiers: they used CAD software and 3D printers, without any prior specialized experience. The technology enabled them to produce several prototypes for testing in just a few months.
In 2025, Lightning Labs (part of the U.S. Army’s 25th Infantry Division) successfully 3D printed the “Capstone” drone, a first person view aircraft equipped with a camera for pilot-perspective navigation. To enable lethal capabilities, the division’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team developed a custom detonation system specifically for the platform. The 25th Infantry is based in Hawaii, which makes the on-demand nature of additive manufacturing particularly vital. Here, AM offers a solution to the logistical challenges posed by the vast geographical distances.
The British Army recently used FFF 3D printers, specifically solutions from Bambu Lab, to produce drone hulls directly in the field. Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion “The Rifles” set up desktop machines under a camouflaged awning, powered by a small generator, and began printing on-site. A total of five attack drones were manufactured and launched near Nanyuki, Kenya, with each hull taking around 3.5 hours to print. These were first-person view (FPV) drones designed for simulated strike missions. This marks a first for the British Army, which is now exploring broader adoption of deployable 3D printing for field-based drone production.
Developed by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) under the Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM), SPARTA (Soldier Portable Autonomous Reconnaissance Transitioning Aircraft) is a low-cost, modular 3D-printed drone built from the ground up with input from frontline troops. Weighing around two pounds and costing just over $1,000 to produce, it offers a range of over 30 km and a flight time of up to 60 minutes. Its airframe can be printed overnight and assembled without specialized tools. SPARTA was field-tested during the Danger Gauntlet exercise at Fort Riley alongside BISON, a mobile 3D printing makerspace that enables on-site drone manufacturing and repair. ARL is now working with industry partners to transition the platform toward scalable production.