February 13, 2025
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February 13, 2025
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RapidFlight and Thunder Tiger to leverage 3D Printing for Drone Manufacturing

Key Takeaways
3D Printing for Drone Manufacturing
Drone (Representative Image)/Source: Thunder Tiger

RapidFlight, an integrated aerospace design, development, and mass manufacturer of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), has signed a memorandum of understanding with Thunder Tiger Group, a leader in Taiwan’s drone industry, to use 3D printing for drone manufacturing in industrial and defence applications.

The companies plan to investigate and implement 3D printing of unmanned systems for Taiwan’s National Defence and other commercial applications.

3D Printing for Drone Manufacturing

(Representative Image)
(Representative Image)/Source: RapidFlight

Taiwan’s Defence Ministry recently proposed spending $175 million over five years to purchase approximately 3,200 drones from private contractors.

To achieve this goal, Taiwan’s defence base will need to expand rapidly. This partnership, in accordance with appropriate licensing and governmental approvals, will leverage RapidFlight’s extensive understanding of additive manufacturing for aerospace applications at the tactical edge and Thunder Tiger’s technological know-how to enhance Taiwan’s defence and commercial UAS capabilities.

Additive manufacturing can reduce drone storage footprints by a factor of ten while also lowering manufacturing costs and allowing a production line to quickly integrate new drone capabilities. It allows users to swap out payloads, propulsion systems, communications, and other critical components to better meet their operational requirements or needs.

Thunder Tiger and RapidFlight intend to bring this capability to Taiwan to meet the country’s ever-changing defence and security needs. The partnership will also allow the Ministry of National Defence to investigate RapidFlight’s customisable, scalable, and cost-effective autonomous aircraft manufacturing solutions.

About Thunder Tiger: Thunder Tiger, a Taiwanese publicly traded company, was founded in 1979. They specialise in unmanned vehicle systems, dental equipment, and remote-controlled vehicles. TTROBOTIX, a Taiwanese drone industry leader, specialises in the development of mid- and large-sized UAVs and ROVs for industrial and defence applications.

About RapidFlight: RapidFlight, headquartered in Manassas, Virginia, is a design, technology, and manufacturing company that can produce thousands of customised, low-cost, mission-ready unmanned systems both centrally and at the tactical edge. The company’s advanced digital design and manufacturing processes, known as AgileAviation, and experienced team of industry professionals are setting new standards for aircraft customisation and mass production.


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