21 April 2025

US Army Eyes Surge in 3D-Printed Drones That Imitate Enemy Forces

Joe Saballa
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The US Army is exploring a significant acceleration in the production of 3D-printed drones capable of replicating the capabilities and behaviors of enemy systems.

The push comes as the army anticipates the rollout of a program aimed at rapidly developing low-cost target drones for training exercises.

According to Gen. James Rainey, head of Army Futures Command, there is a critical need to simulate unmanned aerial system (UAS) threats, particularly for preparing platoons to counter drone swarms.

“We need to do it at a price point that is ridiculously low: We don’t need the Gucci cameras and everything else,” he said, as quoted by Breaking Defense.

At present, the army manufactures around 10 Group 1 drones weekly — platforms weighing under 20 pounds (4.5 kilograms) and reaching speeds of 100 knots (185 kilometers/115 miles per hour).

However, plans are underway to ramp up production to 10,000 drones per month to boost training efforts for modern warfare.

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