What Is 3D Printing Actually Good For? Keeping Old Equipment in the Fight and Small Drones in the Air

Modern War Institute | Burgess Laird

The United States military is integrating additive manufacturing into its formal sustainment systems to bypass obsolete supply chains and maintain legacy platforms. In 2025, the US Navy approved 101 3D-printed components, including a 992-pound metal valve manifold installed on an aircraft carrier, demonstrating that additive manufacturing has transitioned from experimental prototyping to certified operational capability.

This institutional shift addresses the vulnerability of operating decades-old equipment whose original manufacturers and tooling no longer exist. At Robins Air Force Base, technicians use reverse engineering to fabricate low-volume sustainment parts for aircraft like the B-52 and F-15. Deployed forces also benefit. A two-person Navy team recently produced two thousand F-35 O-ring installation tools in under two weeks, bypassing a projected six-month commercial procurement delay. In contested environments like the Western Pacific, local fabrication mitigates the risk of interdicted supply lines. Furthermore, the rapid iteration of expendable unmanned systems requires flexible, software-driven manufacturing rather than low-cost mass production.

Comment

Integrating additive manufacturing into the US Air Force sustainment architecture alters the economics of maintaining legacy fleets like the B-52. At Robins Air Force Base, the fabrication of low-volume components for the B-52 and F-15 bypasses the traditional, often defunct, industrial base. This localised production at Robins Air Force Base mitigates the risk of single-point-of-failure suppliers for obsolete structural brackets. Consequently, B-52 mission-capable rates become decoupled from commercial production lines.

The mechanism driving this transition is the digitisation of technical data packages for platforms like the F-35. For the F-35 fleet, the rapid production of O-ring installation tools demonstrates how digital designs bypass the six-month commercial procurement cycle. By establishing certified digital repositories, the Defense Logistics Agency can transmit verified print files directly to forward-deployed units like the USS Somerset. This digital-first logistics model reduces the physical footprint of spare parts inventories aboard the USS Somerset during deployments.

Strategic Question for Discussion

If the Defense Logistics Agency successfully transitions to transmitting certified print files directly to the USS Somerset, how will this shift the balance of maritime logistics vulnerability in contested environments where physical supply lines are interdicted?

The pattern suggests that forward-deployed fabrication aboard vessels like the USS Somerset will reduce reliance on vulnerable replenishment-at-sea operations for low-volume, critical components. However, my assessment is that this shift will not eliminate the need for bulk physical supply chains, as raw feedstock and high-volume munitions cannot be efficiently printed on-site. The primary benefit will remain the rapid restoration of mission-critical systems rather than complete logistical self-sufficiency.

Share your assessment in the comments below.

To read in details click here