RAF Installs First In-House 3D Printed Component on Operational Typhoon Fighter

The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) has successfully installed its first in-house manufactured 3D printed component on an operational Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft. This milestone demonstrates the growing maturity of additive manufacturing (AM) for aerospace maintenance and sustainment operations. The part—a protective cover for cockpit radio equipment—was designed and printed by RAF engineers at RAF Coningsby using a polymer-based process.

First Operational Use of In-House Printed Part

The installed component is a radio cover designed to shield sensitive cockpit electronics from accidental damage during maintenance or pilot ingress/egress. While not flight-critical, the part is essential for preserving the integrity of mission systems and reducing avoidable wear. According to the RAF, this is the first time a non-commercially sourced 3D printed component has been fitted to an active-duty Typhoon aircraft.

The part was manufactured using Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technology with high-strength thermoplastic filament. Engineers at RAF Coningsby designed the model using CAD software and validated it through ground testing before installation. The entire process—from concept to fitment—was completed within weeks.

This initiative forms part of a broader push by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) to integrate additive manufacturing into military logistics and reduce reliance on traditional supply chains for low-volume or obsolescent parts.

Strategic Implications for Sustainment and Readiness

The ability to produce certified components at or near the point of need offers significant benefits for air forces operating complex platforms like the Eurofighter Typhoon. Traditional supply chains often involve long lead times—especially for legacy or low-demand parts—and may be vulnerable to geopolitical disruption or OEM bottlenecks.

By enabling local production of non-flight-critical components such as brackets, covers, housings, and tooling fixtures, additive manufacturing can:

• Reduce aircraft downtime due to parts unavailability
• Lower costs associated with inventory storage and procurement
• Enable rapid prototyping and iterative design improvements
• Improve resilience against supply chain disruptions

While current regulations limit in-house AM use to non-flight-critical parts unless certified through rigorous airworthiness processes, future developments in material science and certification frameworks may expand this scope significantly.

BAE Systems’ Role in AM Integration Across Eurofighter Fleet

BAE Systems—the UK’s primary industrial partner in the Eurofighter consortium—has been actively exploring AM integration across production and sustainment lines. The company operates advanced additive facilities at Warton and Samlesbury that support both prototype development and limited-run production.

In recent years, BAE has collaborated with academia and small-medium enterprises (SMEs) under UK MOD innovation programs such as Team Tempest and Project JAMES (Joint Additive Manufacturing Enabled Supply Chain). These efforts aim to mature AM technologies not only for future platforms like GCAP but also retroactively apply them to existing fleets like Typhoon.

The RAF’s successful deployment of an internally printed component signals that frontline units are beginning to absorb these capabilities directly—a critical step toward distributed manufacturing models envisioned under MoD’s Future Combat Air Support Strategy.

Additive Manufacturing Policy Frameworks Within NATO Forces

The UK is not alone in pursuing AM integration within military aviation. NATO member states including Germany, Italy, France, Canada, and the United States have all launched initiatives aimed at qualifying AM-produced parts for use aboard combat aircraft.

The US Air Force’s Rapid Sustainment Office (RSO) has fielded over 200 additively manufactured parts across platforms such as F-15s, C-5s, and B-52s—including flight-critical metal components certified under MIL-STD protocols. Similarly, Germany’s Luftwaffe has used laser sintering techniques to produce replacement ducting elements aboard Tornado aircraft since 2019.

NATO’s Allied Command Transformation (ACT) has also supported cross-national standardization efforts around digital part libraries (“digital twins”), secure file transmission protocols (e.g., NATO STANAGs), and qualification pathways for polymer vs metal-based AM processes.

Challenges Ahead: Certification & Workforce Training

Despite promising progress, several hurdles remain before widespread adoption of AM becomes routine within military aviation:

• Certification Complexity: Flight-critical parts require extensive mechanical testing under thermal/cyclic loads; current standards are evolving slowly.
• Material Qualification: Ensuring consistency across batches—especially with metal powders—is essential but technically demanding.
• Sustainability & Lifecycle Data: Long-term performance data is limited; fatigue behavior over decades remains poorly understood compared to forged/cast equivalents.
• Workforce Upskilling: Maintenance crews need training in CAD modeling, printer calibration/maintenance, post-processing techniques like annealing or surface smoothing.

The RAF’s Coningsby team reportedly received support from BAE Systems engineers during early implementation phases—a model likely necessary until organic expertise matures across squadrons.

A Glimpse into Future Combat Aviation Logistics

The successful fitment of a locally produced radio cover may seem modest—but it represents a foundational shift toward agile logistics architectures where digital files replace physical inventories. As more air forces embrace distributed manufacturing concepts enabled by secure cloud-based libraries and battlefield-deployable printers (e.g., containerized print labs), tactical sustainment could become faster—and more autonomous—than ever before.

This aligns closely with broader trends seen in next-gen airpower programs such as GCAP/FCAS where modularity extends beyond avionics into logistical ecosystems themselves. The convergence of digital engineering tools (PLM/CAD/CFD), predictive analytics via AI/ML models trained on usage data from onboard HUMS systems (Health Usage Monitoring Systems), and local AM capacity could redefine how air fleets are maintained during both peacetime operations and expeditionary deployments alike.