Engineers at the Army Research Laboratory have conducted flight tests of a 3D-printed unmanned aerial vehicle developed through an on-demand system, the Army reported Thursday.ARL performed the flight demonstration as part of the Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiments in December at Fort Benning in Georgia, David McNally writes.
The on-demand system works to help soldiers encode their drone requirements into a mission planning software platform and facilitate the deployment of 3D-printed UAVs to warfighters within 24 hours.
Eric Spero, team leader and project manager at ARL, said his team plans to increase the unmanned vehicle’s payload capacity, agility and standoff distance as well as reduce the drone’s noise.
ARL engineers noted they will continue to work with partners from Georgia Tech’s aerospace systems design lab to refine technology platforms for service personnel, the report added.
