Lt. Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski said drone and 3-D printing technologies have the potential to play a large role in helping build the military’s offset strategy to maintain the nation’s defense posture, Breaking Defense reported Monday.
Colin Clark writes that the service’s top military acquisition officer spoke to reporters in her office this week about the possibilities of future F-35s being used as a command center for remotely controlled aircraft and as an airborne refueling post.
“I can see a scenario where you’ve got an F-35 orchestrating an attack with 20 RPAs that are weapons-equipped and that F-35, with all its sensors and communications, is essentially an orchestrator,†Pawlikowski was quoted as saying.
The lieutenant general indicated that she also foresees 3-D printing, or additive manufacturing, as an industry changer that is able to address quality and manpower issues, Clark reports.
