British unit adopts 3D printing of drone parts after lessons from Ukraine

The 1st Battalion Irish Guards has begun 3D printing drone bodies and parts after observing Ukrainian use of the technology, Lt Col Ben Irwin-Clark said. The battalion linked up with Ukrainian troops during a training rotation and increased its preparations for drone warfare.

The unit has created a 'drone hub' where soldiers repair drones and print parts, shortening procurement timelines from weeks to hours. It has trained 78 of its roughly 300 people as pilots or instructors and has used printers to make bomblets and copies of Russian equipment; the battalion printed its first drone body last month.

Irwin-Clark said the long-term plan is to expand 3D printing so soldiers can design and print innovations and to make the capability mobile, placing printers in vehicles to produce parts close to the fight. The approach follows Ukrainian examples of modifying commercial drones with printed attachments to drop munitions.

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