The Royal Air Force (RAF) is developing an aerial attack unit featuring 3D printed drones that can be fitted with munitions and used to destroy strategic targets, a senior UK military official has announced.

Having scrapped its previous ‘Mosquito’ drone-building program, the RAF has now switched its focus to creating a fleet of UAVs that can be deployed with greater urgency. According to the UK’s Chief of Air Staff, Sir Mike Wigston, technologies like 3D printing are aiding these efforts, by enabling devices to be rapidly built and launched on-demand. 

“Our swarming drone trials point to the enormous operational potential for these systems to confuse and overwhelm an adversary’s air defenses,” said Wigston. “We are exploring new models of capability delivery and accelerated production ‘when we need them’ rather than ‘in case we need them,’ from the twin-jet 3D printed ‘Pizookie,’ to commercially-available large drones fitted with novel payloads and…

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Source: 3dprintingindustry.com