3D Printed Training Bombs Help U.S. Air Force Reduce Training Costs

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3D printed training bombs help U.S. Air Force reduce training costs

US media said that the use of 3D printers has greatly reduced the US Air Force's ordnance training costs in England.

The US "Stars and Stripes" website reported on November 25 that a 3D printer significantly reduced the time and cost required for officers and soldiers of the U.S. military ’s Explosive Detachment Unit at Laken Heath Air Force Base in the UK to obtain training equipment.

It is reported that Sergeant William Riddle has been using a 3D printer to produce training bombs that can simulate improvised explosive devices, rockets and mortar shells for the training of the US Air Force's 48th Fighter Wing at Laken Heath Base. "Explosives Disposal Unit" (EOD) officers and soldiers have significantly reduced the cost and time of training equipment shipped from the United States.

Riddle said that when these simulated weapons were manufactured and shipped from the United States, "25 US Air Force officers and soldiers would need about $ 60,000 a year for ordnance training."

But the 48th Fighter Wing said in a statement that the cost of manufacturing these training bombs using 3D printers would drop by 96%.

The report quoted United Alliance spokesman Captain Miranda Simmons as saying that printing training aids at Laken Heath could also save time.

Simmons said in an email: "It takes about 30 days to adopt traditional purchasing methods, and it takes 24 to 48 hours to use 3D printing." Riddle said the new system also enhances security because it Reduced "the time it takes our detonation personnel to deal with what might be a real bomb at a deployment site. This means less deployment time and less dangerous time. They can complete the task and return safely."

Riddle said that this 3D printing system is also easy to learn. "I can get anyone who hasn't used 3D printing to coach them for 5 minutes and they can easily print it out," he said.

According to reports, Riddle will brief his thoughts to the US Air Force Innovation and Change Commission in the European Air Force.

Captain Christopher Bower-Mead, spokesman for the United States Air Force in the European Air Force, said that if the committee approves the idea, the system could be provided to "explosives disposal units" throughout the theater.