The UK Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with Babcock to develop a concept that will allow Ukrainian military forces to use 3D printing for manufacturing spare parts directly in the field.
This is stated in a company press release.
Babcock will work on the project in collaboration with the British company QinetiQ.
Together, they will create digital blueprints and automated design files that can be used to print the necessary parts.
Tom Newman, CEO of Babcock’s Land Sector, said: “We aim to give Ukraine the capability to recreate the military parts that they need, where and when it really matters. This innovation builds on our engineering expertise and technology capability, giving us further opportunities to optimise 3D printing.”
The technology involves re-engineering—restoring old components by analyzing their functionality and design, which will allow them to be reproduced in digital format on demand.
Alan Hart, Managing Director of Science, Technology and Weapons for QinetiQ, said: “We are delighted to be working with Babcock to support Ukraine, and are immensely proud that QinetiQ is able to draw on our world-leading expertise in technical assurance to assist. This latest contract demonstrates QinetiQ’s unequalled expertise in material capability assurance, and commitment to support to the frontline, whether our own or those of our allies.”
This new contract forms part of Babcock’s steadfast support for Ukraine. Recently, we announced an extension to our support for Ukraine’s armed forces which will ensure vehicles such as the Challenger 2 tank are repaired and restored as quickly as possible to the front line. We manage the vehicle supply chain and spares and share our engineering expertise to train the Ukrainian military to conduct the repairs themselves.
