Contracts · Base infrastructure
Air Force seeks 3D concrete printers for protective structures, Defense News reports
The service wants mobile printers that lightly trained personnel can operate in austere conditions. Its small-business research solicitation closes in January 2027, Defense News reports.
The Air Force is seeking mobile 3D concrete printers to help military engineers rapidly build protective structures, Defense News reported Nov. 4. Its Small Business Innovation Research solicitation is a direct-to-Phase II project and closes in January 2027.1
Air Force wants to develop mobile 3D concrete printers
Stated goal: enable military engineers to rapidly print protective structures
The project will evaluate cement-like materials for qualities such as strength, adhesion and the availability of local components.
It will develop new construction geometries
The Air Force wants a printer operated in austere conditions by lightly trained personnel
Reported by Defense News, Nov. 4, 2026
Sources
The development challenge combines protection with practical field use. Defense News tied the effort to Iranian attacks that damaged hundreds of U.S. military buildings across eight Middle Eastern countries, citing a September 2026 inspector general report. The Air Force is concerned that existing concrete-printing technology is not yet ready to produce structures that survive missile and drone bombardment.1
The service wants equipment that lightly trained military personnel can operate in austere conditions, with a goal of reducing skilled labor and using locally available cementitious materials where feasible. The project will assess cement-like materials for qualities including strength and adhesion, as well as the availability of local components.1
Defense News reported that the project will develop new construction geometries intended to improve survivability beyond conventional flat-wall construction. The shapes are intended to reduce blast reflection, limit pressure amplification, interrupt fragmentation paths and improve protection for occupants.1
Sources (1)
- Defense News: Under threat of air strikes, US looks to bolster base infrastructure with 3D printing www.defensenews.com