Marine Develops $700 3D-Printed Modular Drone
A U.S. Marine has reportedly developed a 3D-printed drone that costs approximately $700 to produce. The modular platform was designed to be compliant with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The project highlights a trend toward low-cost, rapidly manufacturable unmanned systems within the military.
- The drone, named HANX after its creator's nickname, was developed by Sgt. Henry David Volpe, an automotive maintenance technician with the 2nd Marine Logistics Group. Volpe utilized his experience with 3D printing and robotics, which began in a middle school LEGO robotics club, to design the platform. - Development of the HANX platform took 90 days and over 1,000 hours, resulting in five major versions before the final prototype was complete. The drone received interim flight clearance from U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), making it the first 3D-printed drone built by Marines to be approved by both NAVAIR and the NDAA. - NDAA compliance ensures the drone's components are not sourced from "covered foreign entities," including China, to mitigate security risks like hidden "backdoor" programs in the hardware or software. This is a significant step, as previous 3D-printed drones like the "nibbler" from 2017 did not meet today's stricter NDAA requirements. - The base model of the HANX costs around $700, which is significantly cheaper than many commercially produced drones that can cost nearly $4,000. Its modular design allows it to be adapted for various missions, such as reconnaissance, logistics, or as a one-way attack drone, and it can carry a one-kilogram payload. - This project is part of a larger trend within the U.S. military to develop low-cost, "attritable" unmanned systems that can be produced at scale and deployed in large numbers, a lesson reinforced by the widespread use of drones in the war in Ukraine. The U.S. Army has a similar initiative, with soldiers at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii 3D-printing one-way attack drones called "Kestrel" on-site. - The push for in-house, rapidly manufacturable drones aligns with broader Army efforts like "transforming-in-contact," which uses troop rotations to test new commercial off-the-shelf equipment for greater battlefield responsiveness. This approach allows units to create what they need on-demand, reducing reliance on vulnerable supply chains.
