The US Air Force has selected 67 companies, including additive manufacturing (AM) solutions providers such as MELD Manufacturing, for a potential nine-year, USD 975 million contract through its Rapid Sustainment Office to deploy operation and sustainment technologies.

Contract winners will compete for orders to prototype, test, demonstrate, and scale novel technologies, in areas such as automation and robotics, advanced composites, corrosion prevention, and AI.

The contract covers 16 technical focus areas, including advanced manufacturing capabilities, data and digital environment, rapid and austere maintenance, AR/VR, and aircraft battle damage repair engineering.

Analyst QuickTake: This news adds to a growing trend of adoption of AM across the defense industry. Over the last two months, 1) Supernova announced a new Defense and Space business unit to focus on 3D printing energetic materials, 2) 6K Additive joined the EARTH project under America Makes and National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining, and 3) Spee3D completed a 3D printing proof-of-concept exercise with the US Department of Defense to print 11 cast-equivalent metal parts from aluminum and stainless steel.