The Indiana Army National Guard has achieved a technological first: 3D printing while airborne aboard a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.
The experiment used Craitor Inc.’s ruggedized FieldFab Expeditionary 3D Printer, designed to withstand shocks, vibrations, and extreme temperatures.
The team printed attritable parts for unmanned aerial systems (UAS) mid-flight, even as the helicopter executed tactical maneuvers.
Power came from Sentient Industries’ METEOR Quiet Tactical Power solution, strapped aboard to keep the printer running throughout the mission.
“This demonstration is about more than printing parts in the air — it’s about transforming how the military can sustain combat power,” said Eric Shnell, chief executive officer of Craitor Inc.
“If soldiers can fabricate precision components on-demand, even while airborne, it means less downtime, greater readiness and unmatched adaptability in contested environments.”
Tactical Parts on the Go
The trial points to a future where portable manufacturing could reshape battlefield logistics.
Traditional supply chains are often slow, leaving units waiting for replacement parts or mission-specific gear.
With 3D printing in the air, forces could carry the means of production with them, bypassing those bottlenecks entirely.
“We are moving promising technologies out of the lab and into the hands of soldiers — assessing how they perform under operational conditions and how they can transform the fight,” said Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Limeberry, commander of the Rapid Assessment of Prototype Technology Readiness Task Force.
“Innovation like this highlights how quickly we can adapt commercial technologies to operational realities. The ability to print parts mid-mission represents a new level of agility for sustainment and expands what our forces can achieve under fire.”
