US Navy 3D prints combat-ready drones and 1,000+ parts aboard aircraft carrier during exercise — containerized factory fabricated 80-mph FPVs and critical spares despite rough seas and 12-foot waves

Firestorm Labs deploys xCell containerized manufacturing platform at sea.

During a two-week transit to RIMPAC 2026 in Hawaii, a containerized factory aboard the USS Essex 3D printed a dozen flight-ready drones, as well as over 1,000 parts including vital spares for Apache helicopters. 3D Printing Industry reports that this was the first maritime run of the xCell expeditionary manufacturing platform from Firestorm Labs. Furthermore, production wasn’t halted by the rough seas and up to 12 ft waves endured during the journey.

In Firestorm’s words, this additive manufacturing milestone using the xCell platform “just proved expeditionary manufacturing works in real conditions.” The 3D printers on board produced a plethora of useful things during the journey, on demand.