US Soldiers learn to 3D print and fly drones in new Army course — 3-week boot camp covers everything from printer maintenance to FPV operation

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US Army drone course
(Image credit: U.S. Army)

Over recent years, the U.S. Army has been steadily integrating both drones and 3D printing into its arsenal. This involvement makes sense on a strategic level and provides for some interesting career opportunities for those enlisted. In a report from 3D Printing Industry, it looks like the Army has introduced a new course aimed at imparting drone and 3D printing skillsets to those enrolled, known as the Unmanned Advanced Lethality Course (UALC).

The goal of UALC is to teach soldiers a variety of protocols from 3D printer maintenance to operating FPV drones. Students must learn how to not only fly the drones but also produce them from the ground up using 3D printed assets. According to UALC, the course is designed to last for three weeks and is led by the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence (AVCOE).

This course is currently held at Fort Rucker in Alabama and leaves students with a handful of useful skills that easily transfer to other areas—especially 3D printing. Soldiers tackle printing with both FDM printers and resin printers. They also get to experiment with 3D printing unique materials like carbon fiber.

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Ash Hill
Ash Hill
Contributing Writer

Ash Hill is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware with a wealth of experience in the hobby electronics, 3D printing and PCs. She manages the Pi projects of the month and much of our daily Raspberry Pi reporting while also finding the best coupons and deals on all tech.

3 Comments Comment from the forums
  • ackza
    Ash Hill is the only person trying to bring attention to US military lack of cheap drone tech etc. I'm grateful shes trying but wow we maybe need some men to pull their weight too? They're leaving this woman on her own to promote us 3d printing drones etc hahahaha wtf man. Help her out. Give us some actual funding to go to 3d printing maker conventions etc . Give us money to do some DRONE LASERTAG AND AIRSOFT PAINTNBALL matches!

    Where is the Trump administration?
    Reply
  • jg.millirem
    The US keeps making the world better and better.
    Reply
  • Phyzzi
    Okay... so the expensive part of a drone is almost certainly the battery and the motor, and possibly the controller. If 3D printing drones made any kind of financial sense, they would be consistently high ranking models on the various places that post STL's publicly.

    The parts of drones made of plastic (so the printable ones) are not going to be cheaper, or better, if 3D printed by anyone without an engineering degree. A 3D printer won't be more useable in the field, and it won't be easier to ship resin or fillament.

    While I understand that there are potentially some uses for 3D printing parts at a operations base rather than shipping them as updates from a professional manufacturing facility, I feel like printing drone parts is going to make the people taking this course turn from thinking that printing might be interesting and useful to thinking that it's too much time and trouble for most needs.
    Reply