U.S. Army tests 3D printing aboard a Black Hawk helicopter

The Indiana Army National Guard has, as part of the Technology and Readiness Experimentation 25-2 (T-REX 25-2) exercise, demonstrated for the first time the successful operation of a 3D printer during a helicopter flight. The test took place aboard a UH-60 Black Hawk and served to evaluate the FieldFab Expeditionary 3D Printer, a system developed by the U.S. company Craitor from San Diego specifically for military field conditions.

The FieldFab printer is certified to the military standard MIL-STD-810H and can operate under shock, vibration, and extreme temperature conditions. During the flight, the system produced parts for unmanned aerial systems (UAS) that matched the specifications of the original manufacturer. Power was supplied by the METEOR system from Sentient Industries, designed for low-noise operation in tactical environments.

“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, CEO of Craitor. “If soldiers can fabricate precision components on-demand, even while airborne, it means less downtime, greater readiness and unmatched adaptability in contested environments.”

The project is part of recent modernization initiatives by the U.S. Department of Defense, which aim to expand the use of additive manufacturing by 2026. The goal is to bring the production of spare parts, drone components, and mission-specific equipment closer to the front lines.

“This is exactly what T-REX was designed for,” said Lt. Col. Matthew Limeberry, the Rapid Assessment of Prototype Technology Readiness Task Force commander. “We are moving promising technologies out of the lab and into the hands of soldiers—assesing how they perform under operational conditions and how they can transform the fight. 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.”

The successful test is considered an important step toward decentralized, field-based manufacturing that could significantly reduce dependence on long supply chains.