The U.S. Navy is using additive manufacturing aboard aircraft carriers and amphibious landing ships as part of broader efforts to deliver or maintain platforms “more quickly, cheaply, and effectively,” according to the sea service’s top officer.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti shared this news on Feb. 13 at the WEST 2024 conference, where she underscored the “outsized and dominant role” the Navy plays in ensuring that U.S. national security objectives are achieved.
Franchetti said that, to be able to carry out its mission, the Navy is looking into “disruptive and emerging technologies” to be able “to adapt to the changing character of war.”
Apart from 3D printing, these new technologies also include artificial intelligence and machine learning, which is being used to support conditions-based maintenance, Franchetti explained. She also cited the use of robotics in order to determine the condition of seagoing platforms “quickly, accurately, and more cost-effectively.”
However, this “really only scratches the surface on how we’re using technology, artificial intelligence and machine learning to better support the fleet in lifecycle maintenance,” the Navy official noted, also emphasizing that such technologies must be understood and put to use with urgency.