US Air Force Is Waiting a Year for Parts That It Could 3D-Print
By Marcus Weisgerber
May 29, 2018
Its chief weapons buyer is mulling licensing arrangements to allow third-party manufacture.
Someday, the military will 3D-print missiles as needed, the U.S. Air Force’s acquisition chief says. In the shorter term, he just wants to use additive manufacturing technology to get broken planes back in the air. The roadblock is legal, not technical.
“I have airplanes right now that are waiting on parts that are taking a year and a half to deliver. A year and a half,†Will Roper, the assistant Air Force secretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, said in an interview.
https://www.defenseone.com/business/2018/05/us-air-force-waiting-year-parts-it-could-3d-print/148565/?oref=defenseone_today_nl
