Troops from the U.S. Military’s 173rd Airborne Brigade are constructing and deploying 3D printed first-person-view (FPV) drones to realize a tactical edge on the battlefield.
On the heart of this initiative is Hawkeye Platoon, a unit inside the Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment.
Specialising in reconnaissance, surveillance, and goal acquisition (RSTA), these troopers just lately deployed a cellular lab to 3D print drone parts throughout Agile Spirit 25, a multinational coaching train held in Georgia. They assembled and maintained quadcopter unmanned aerial autos (UAVs) on-site, combining printed components with off-the-shelf parts to fulfill operational calls for.
Brigade-level funding helps Hawkeye Platoon’s drone operations, together with the acquisition of C100 drones. Troopers 3D print most of the different FPVs within the fleet and design customized payloads to fulfill particular battlefield wants. This shift to front-line manufacturing got here after the U.S. Military retired its RQ-7B Shadow drones in March 2024.
The sector-based manufacturing method considerably reduces each price and manufacturing time. In line with a current Division of Protection (DoD) press launch, troopers can construct a drone in just some hours for $400 to $500 every.
That worth is considerably decrease than many different assault drones within the DoD’s arsenal. For instance, the U.S. army’s FY 2026 missile procurement finances consists of 294 Switchblade 600 LASSO loitering munitions, every costing $170,000. The identical doc additionally signifies that smaller-scale FPVs are being acquired for $5,000 apiece, in line with a Forbes report.
U.S. forces are assured that scaling and fielding low-cost FPV manufacturing expertise will improve fight effectiveness throughout operational eventualities.
Military Employees Sgt. Andy Ortiz, a drone pilot with Hawkeye Platoon, argued that 3D printed UAVs can enhance lethality by “velocity[ing] up the kill chain.” He emphasised that the platoon’s drones are “tremendous low-cost to construct” and simple to restore.
Ortiz envisions an expanded function for these 3D printed units on the battlefield, advocating that infantry platoons be “stacked with FPV drones.” He argued that the low-cost programs may basically shift fight techniques. “As a substitute of calling for hearth help, somebody in your platoon may take out the goal with a drone carrying C4,” he defined.
3D printing drones on the entrance strains
Drones have grow to be indispensable on the fashionable battlefield, a actuality laid naked by the conflict in Ukraine. On the battlefields of Jap Europe, each side depend on small, cheap FPVs to hit targets, watch enemy actions, and ship provides.
The Division of Protection has acknowledged the rising tactical significance of drones. In a June 2025 memorandum, Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth known as them “the largest battlefield innovation in a era.” He instructed the army to scale manufacturing and combine drone expertise into coaching pipelines.
Hegseth has additionally ordered the U.S. Military to broaden its use of additive manufacturing, reflecting a $3.3 billion request within the Pentagon’s 2026 finances for initiatives that harness 3D printing expertise. Hawkeye Platoon is main in each of those efforts, incorporating 3D printing expertise and drone capabilities into its coaching.
Military Employees Sgt. Nathaniel Daniels, a platoon sergeant with the 173rd, defined that the unit’s coaching mannequin is constructed for scalability. Business drone makers start the method by coaching chosen troopers below a train-the-trainer method. Licensed noncommissioned officers, like these in Hawkeye Platoon, then cross on that data, educating others to construct and function drones throughout the brigade
The platoon’s drone arsenal consists of 4 giant C100 quadcopters, together with smaller, low-cost FPVs that troopers can construct of their deployable manufacturing lab. The C100 is a heavy-lift quadcopter drone manufactured by Huntsville-based Efficiency Drone Works (PDW).
In line with Daniels, C100s are adept at autonomously carrying and dropping provides to front-line models and support stations. “If the mission is past 2 or 3 kilometers, we are able to add the mission, and the drone will full it autonomously and return,” he defined.
These drones have a spread of as much as 10 kilometers and might keep aloft for 74 minutes, permitting operators to conduct beyond-line-of-sight missions in mountainous or contested terrain. In contrast, the platoon’s 3D printed FPVs are quicker and cheaper to provide however require a direct line of sight. In consequence, they’re greatest fitted to short-range strikes and close-in reconnaissance missions.
Hawkeye Platoon showcased its fight drone capabilities throughout Agile Spirit 25 held within the Jap European nation of Georgia. Led by U.S., European, and African forces, the coaching train supplied a stay operational setting for testing rising battlefield applied sciences and validating mission units.
The rise of 3D printed drones
Drones have modifications the face of battle in Ukraine. Whereas small FPVs strike targets on the entrance strains, Russia has escalated its long-range drone marketing campaign utilizing Iranian-designed Shahed UAVs. Swarms of those drones hit websites lots of of miles from the battlefields. Moscow deployed greater than 6,000 Shahed-style drones final yr, and launched 5,000 in June 2025 alone.
To counter this rising risk, Ukrainian firms are rising manufacturing of 3D printed interceptor drones, which may hunt and destroy UAVs earlier than they strike. Wild Hornets is main these efforts. The Ukrainian non-profit runs a 24-hour manufacturing line of Bambu Lab 3D printers to manufacture excessive volumes of its Sting interceptor drones. The agency can reportedly produce as much as 100 drones per day to fulfill rising battlefield calls for.
Elsewhere, the British Military just lately trialed the manufacturing of 3D printed FPV drones on the entrance strains throughout Train Bull Storm in Kenya. Troops from F Firm, third Battalion, The Rifles Regiment used a Bambu Lab 3D printer powered by a subject generator to provide 5 drones.
This method was discovered to save lots of money and time, chopping drone acquisition prices from £2,000 to £400. It displays the British army’s rising adoption of FPVs. Throughout Bull Storm, drone assaults had been used to interchange most artillery and mortar hearth missions, attaining a “important” success charge.
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Featured picture reveals Military Sgt. Tucker Smith soldered inside wiring on a 3D printed FPV drone. Photograph through Military Nationwide Guard Sgt. 1st Class Brittany Conley.
