The US Marine Corps has taken a significant step toward autonomous drone production with the introduction of HANX, its first NDAA-compliant 3D-printed unmanned aircraft. Developed internally by the 2nd Marine Logistics Group at the II MEF Innovation Campus, the platform is designed to be inexpensive, modular, and easily modified by frontline units. Following extensive testing and approval from Naval Air Systems Command, the Corps established a repeatable process that allows Marine units to print, assemble, and sustain the drone without contractor involvement. HANX can be rapidly adapted for a range of missions, offering flexibility not available with commercially sourced systems. The initiative supports the Pentagon’s broader “drone dominance” strategy, including a recently announced $1-billion effort to accelerate domestic unmanned system production and field hundreds of thousands of low-cost drones over the next two years.
