Fort Stewart soldiers embrace drone technology and 3D printing for battlefield innovation

FORT STEWART, Ga. (WTOC) - Soldiers at Fort Stewart are incorporating drones and 3D printing technology into their operations, moving away from traditional military tactics to enhance battlefield effectiveness and troop safety.

The new technologies allow soldiers to gather intelligence and strike targets while keeping troops away from dangerous areas, according to military personnel at the base.

“Instead of the old-fashioned way where scouts had to go kilometers forward of an element to find the enemy, we can now send a drone instead of a human,” said Captain William Langley of the UAS Element, 6-8 Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Armored Team. “And then, with the strike capability, the strike capability is a lot more accurate than traditional methods of engagement.”

The drone technology enables units to identify threats and respond more quickly than previous methods. Soldiers say the unmanned aircraft systems provide both reconnaissance and strike capabilities.

“The whole purpose of the programs we are trying out and the new equipment we are trying out is to save lives of American soldiers to increase the survivability of our men and equipment,” Langley said.

The Army has also adopted 3D printing technology, allowing soldiers to design and produce prototypes directly on-site. The innovation significantly reduces development time for new equipment and modifications.

“Instead, we can use software and have our soldiers create their own prototypes, print them out within a day, and then we can iterate a lot faster on innovation than before,” Langley said.

Military officials say processes that previously required months can now be completed in a single day using the 3D printing technology.

Troops at Fort Stewart have been training with these technologies for approximately one year, incorporating tactical lessons learned from the war in Ukraine into their operations.