Aurora Flight Sciences, Stratasys debut at Dubai jet-powered, 3D printed UAV

Stratasys and Aurora Flight Sciences unveiled at the Dubai Airshow an aircraft built using lightweight Stratasys materials to achieve speeds in excess of 150 mph. The team leveraged 3D printing for 80% of the design and manufacture of the demonstration UAV, which has a 9-ft wingspan and a mass of just only 33 lb.

According to Dan Campbell, Aerospace Research Engineer at Aurora Flight Sciences, the project achieved various targets. “A primary goal for us was to show the aerospace industry just how quickly you can go from designing to building to flying a 3D printed jet-powered aircraft. To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest, fastest, and most complex 3D printed UAV ever produced.”