China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is testing a system aided by 3D printing and drone deliveries to help the forces repair their equipment in remote locations or during wartime. The PLA is potentially testing this capability.
According to the reports, the testing was carried out by a brigade belonging to the PLA’s Northern Theatre Command Air Force.
This comes just months after the United States Army tried to get this capability and demonstrate it on the front lines.
Reports have also hinted at the US using this tactic to help Ukrainian soldiers on the frontlines get replacements for the damaged parts of their equipment.
If successfully deployed on a large scale, it could change how conventional wars are fought, as it would greatly help the troops.
3D printing parts and drone delivery by China’s PLA
According to a recent South China Morning Post (SCMP) report, the PLA’s Northern Theatre Command Air Force trialed the remote maintenance technology during an equipment repair drill.
The Chinese troops involved in the drill applied new technologies to the entire equipment maintenance process.
The maintenance team used a 3D printer to make functional replicas of the damaged parts at one site on the field. Once created, they were attached to drones and sent off to troops in various remote areas on the testing field.
According to the report, one such example of real-time problem-solving by the Chinese PLA involved a team sending a distress message conveying the breakdown of a missile-launching vehicle.
Once the remote maintenance team got the message, the 3D blueprint of the equipment was finalized. Following this, the maintenance team guided the troops on the ground to find and fix the fault.
It is important to mention that this might not be the first time that the PLA has tried such a capability, but the latest report suggests that it is developing and could be used in the future in real-world situations.
US has already tried this technology
The US Department of Defense (DOD) supplied 3D printers to Ukraine to give them the capability to fabricate critical parts for military equipment rapidly.
Another US startup raised $12 million from backers like Lockheed Martin to develop cheap miniature 3D-printing drone factories for battle zones like the Ukraine.
Moreover, in October this year, a senior US Army official revealed that the service is adding a new 3D model as data for helping the troops.
The US services have tried making those parts that the original manufacturers no longer produce and stock or can be procured after a lengthy process.
Therefore, adding 3D model data sets to the system can help ensure they can be safely produced when deployed on the ground.
The October report by Defense News states that the Army has about 1,000 parts mapped and loaded in its repository – and it aims to add an exponentially high number of them in the years ahead.
