Air Force Seeks Mobile 3D Concrete Printers for Hardened Base Buildings

Military Times reports that the US Air Force wants mobile concrete printers to build protective structures quickly, after attacks damaged bases in the Middle East.

Key points

• Request: A Small Business Innovation Research solicitation, closing in January 2027, seeks printers that build protective structures with locally available cement-like materials.
• Damage: A September 2026 Defense Department inspector general report said hundreds of US military buildings across eight Middle Eastern countries were damaged by Iranian attacks.
• Design goals: New shapes to reduce blast reflection and interrupt fragmentation, operated by lightly trained personnel in austere conditions.
• Precedent: The Air Force used 3D printing to rebuild Tyndall Air Force Base in 2023, and a Maryland Air National Guard squadron is developing its own printer.

Quick take

The Air Force says the aim is a deployable unit that can print protective infrastructure fast enough to matter. It sees civilian uses such as disaster relief, though building codes and other approvals would be needed.

Read the full story at Military Times.