Sponsored By Oxley Developments
www.oxleygroup.com
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24 Apr 25. GA-ASI Advances 3D Printing for Small & Medium-Altitude UAS. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has completed a full UAS airframe using metal additive manufacturing, advancing 3D printing applications in partnership with the Department of Defense. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) is advancing additive manufacturing (AM), commonly known as 3D printing, to produce advanced medium-altitude and small unmanned aerial systems (UAS). This manufacturing technique constructs aircraft components directly from digital blueprints by adding material layer upon layer. GA-ASI has recently completed the construction of a full UAS airframe using this process, fabricated entirely through metal additive manufacturing. Using this manufacturing method, the company produced a five-foot section of the airframe, considered one of the largest and most complex metal laser powder bed fusion 3D-printed structures built to date. GA-ASI has heavily invested in additive manufacturing and design technologies to support the advancement of future UAS, aiming to deliver forward-leaning, cost-effective solutions in anticipation of mission requirements. This work was completed in partnership with the Department of Defense and Divergent, a collaborator from the private sector. In 2022, GA-ASI established its Center of Excellence for Additive Design and Manufacturing (AD&M). This facility focuses on rapid manufacturing for the company’s UAS platforms, combining operationally viable and flight-certified additive manufacturing processes with R&D, large-scale tooling, and next-generation airworthy components. To validate additive manufacturing for flight applications, GA-ASI has expanded its additive manufacturing ecosystem. This encompasses essential capabilities required to transition from prototype-quality results (“print right once”) to consistent production quality (“print right always”). The comprehensive AM ecosystem enables GA-ASI to maintain reliability, uniformity, and efficiency in 3D printing for production. These outcomes are supported by refined internal procedures, a dedicated applications team, and a clear path for continued development. Alongside steady production at the AD&M Center of Excellence, GA-ASI has also built a strong AM supply network to handle fast-turnaround and low-volume production needs. This includes supporting the manufacture of intricate thermoplastic and metal components for operational use. GA-ASI reports that incorporating additive parts into the MQ-9B platform has cut tooling costs by more than $2 m and led to ongoing savings of over $300,000 per aircraft, with around 240 AM parts used per unit. The number of additive manufacturing applications continues to rise, fueled by the capabilities of GA-ASI’s established AM system. Over 10,000 3D-printed components have now been installed across its aircraft, with the MQ-9B SkyGuardian® and SeaGuardian® leading in additive manufacturing adoption across the industry. (Source: https://www.defenseadvancement.com/)
25 Apr 25. Firehawk Aerospace eyes distributed network for 3D-printed rocket fuel. Firehawk Aerospace, headquartered in Addison, Texas, is bringing new technology and processes to the rocket motor market. “We really got started in early 2020, late 2019”, with a vision for 3D printing rocket fuel, Will Edwards, co-founder and CEO of Firehawk Aerospace, told Janes on 18 April. “We got our start by building these hybrid rocket engines, which are half-solid, half-liquid” fuel, he said, explaining that these depend on nitrous oxide, which reacts with the fuel, enabling “a lot of unique capabilities”.
“We learnt how to produce rocket propellant out of this material we were using” with the “oxidiser, the energetic, actually mixed into it. We found a way to essentially rapidly 3D reproduce this propellant, where it takes us about three to six hours, when traditional cast-and-cure methods take about 15–60 days”, Edwards said.
The binder for solid rocket propellant is usually a thermoset polymer called hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB). “We are utilising thermoplastics,” he said.
“With our thermoplastic material, we make that feedstock”, which is ingested by the 3D printer, heated, and extruded in a “more liquefied shape, and it solidifies almost immediately. We’re protecting that ammonium perchlorate (AP) from decomposing due to the heat. We found a way to protect the AP from reacting so it doesn’t blow up a print”, he noted, adding that “we’ve never blown up a printer or an extruder”. (Source: Janes)
23 Apr 25. NATO agrees sole-source procurement of Palantir’s Maven. NATO allies agreed to a sole-source procurement of Palantir’s Maven Smart System NATO (MSS NATO) software, a representative of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) told Janes. The procurement took only six months, one of the quickest in NATO’s history. It is expected the system will be in use in May 2025. Maven was already “active and proven across nine different NATO nations contributing to real-world operations”, the SHAPE representative added. An official from NATO’s Headquarters Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (HQ SACT) told Janes on 23 April that Maven would be demonstrated at the alliance’s Coalition Warrior Interoperability Exercise 2025 (CWIX25) in the second quarter (Q2) but that it would not be officially tested alongside other capabilities at that time for technical reasons. The official added that they look forward to deeper involvement from Maven during the 2026 NATO exercise cycle. Maven is designed to connect multiple command, control, and communications (C3) systems so that the “data collected from older systems, third-party apps, and even custom solutions can be shared and leveraged in ways that were previously off-limits”, according to NATO’s Allied Command Operations (ACO) in comments published in the SHAPE Community Life Magazine in March 2025. (Source: Janes)
23 Apr 25. IFS, the leading provider of enterprise cloud and Industrial AI software, today unveils new Industrial AI-powered features introduced with IFS.ai into the latest IFS Cloud 25R1 release. With Industrial AI and sustainability at its core, this new release incorporates agentic Industrial AI capabilities that enable customers in asset and service-intensive industries to rapidly drive value from Industrial AI at scale. With 200+ AI-based capabilities now available in IFS Cloud, customers can automate workflows and leverage industrial agents throughout the entire asset lifecycle and across manufacturing processes—from supply chain augmentation, through to critical service capabilities.
New capabilities include:
- IFS.ai Forecasting and Inventory Replenishment helps customers accelerate demand planning and inventory replenishment for spare parts, so they can optimise global and centralised stock management. It calculates safety stock, reorder points, and optimal lot sizes for parts used in the maintenance process from service and asset part demand.
- IFS.ai XD Integration and Visualisation unlocks deeper insights by bringing 2D or 3D data into IFS Cloud, accelerated by AI-powered data mapping. Early visibility empowers proactive decision-making across maintenance and engineering teams, paving the way for more efficient and maintainable assets. Technicians visualise parts requiring attention within 3D models overlaid with maintenance information like open work orders, while engineering teams benefit from graphical performance data and real-time alerts to address asset maintenance faster.
- IFS.ai AI Data and Work Generation from Documents saves time and effort. It extracts data and recommendations from third-party contractor maintenance reports improving follow-up maintenance work identification and next steps.
- IFS.ai Summarised Supply Chain Events transforms unstructured data into valuable insights, so customers have better sight across their critical supply and production processes. At a time where countries, industries, and businesses are evaluating how they can navigate macroeconomic swings, this level of insight can provide control and resilience that has not previously been achievable.
- IFS.ai Copilot for Sales Quotation enhances customer service efficiency, boosts sales through better recommendations, and increases revenue by reducing order errors and improving productivity.
- IFS.ai Copilot for Shipment Order improves supply chain matrix with automated and flexible freight selection which enhances sales team productivity and customer services.
- IFS.ai Copilot for Customer Order enhances supply chain analysis leveraging AI to summarise important events related to orders in supply chain scenarios. Provides deeper insights and speeds up decision-making leading to better service and improved stakeholder communication.
- IFS.ai Operation Time Prediction improves operational efficiency, reduces delay costs, and enhances customer satisfaction by using AI/ML to predict shop order operation times and identify potential delay risks. Early identification helps prevent delays, mitigate their impact, uncover systematic issues, and enable adjustments to planned data.
- IFS.ai Emissions Management in IFS Cloud supports Scope 1 and 2 emissions, management, and reporting allowing customers to calculate emissions and accurately track progress against 160,000+ verified emissions factors (thanks to the IFS global partnership with Climatiq).
Christian Pedersen, Chief Product Officer, IFS, commented: “IFS’s ability to deliver AI in the industrial setting is rooted in solving real, complex industrial challenges. IFS.ai isn’t speculative; it’s already helping the world’s largest industrial companies navigate and lead at a time where supply chains and production have been challenged. The company’s consistent growth and increasing number of real-world AI capabilities show the enduring value to customers who are choosing IFS over monolithic giants due to our specialised focus, inherent agentic capabilities, and agile integration of AI advancements.
“This targeted approach allows us to offer tailored solutions that align closely with the unique challenges and requirements of these complex industries. This is embodied by the new features available in 25R1. Our mission is to power the next industrial revolution with AI, and I am proud of the impactful advancements we are bringing to customers in 25R1.”
As the regulatory and geopolitical landscape evolves, IFS Cloud enables enterprises to anticipate disruption, optimise planning and production cycles, and strengthen operational resilience while meeting sustainability goals, profitably. Customers attending the IFS Connect series of events will be able to see IFS Cloud in action and understand how to derive value from AI today. IFS has made an introductory offer available until the end of June offering customers a risk-free way to track and see the value from AI on performance and operational efficiency with minimal effort. A 12-month subscription provides access to all of the IFS.ai Use Cases in IFS Cloud, as well as initial consumption tokens to get started. IFS.ai is made available with monitored AI consumption across the business and with standardised consumption rates removing the risk of variable costs affecting the bottom line.
22 Apr 25. The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), in collaboration with the Defence Medical Service (DMS), has unveiled a cutting-edge portable oxygen delivery system designed to improve casualty survival rates for UK soldiers and civilians. Weighing just 5kg, this ground-breaking system offers sustainable oxygen delivery on the battlefield, overcoming limitations of traditional pressurised oxygen cylinders. Unlike current cylinders, which pose logistical challenges due to their weight, risk of explosion and requirement to be refilled using specialist equipment after use, the Dstl system offers improved safety flexibility and reusability. The innovative concentrator system works by drawing air from the environment surrounding the patient, pushing it into a series of chambers that removes the nitrogen present in atmospheric air, allowing breathable oxygen-rich gas to be delivered directly to the patient. Additionally, its rebreather element conserves exhaled breath, scrubs carbon dioxide out of it and enables it to be breathed back in. This combination ensures that any oxygen consumed by the patient is replaced, maintaining a consistently high concentration of oxygen delivered to the patient. The system also provides rebreathing capabilities and patient ventilation for casualties unable to breathe unaided, all within the same weight class as a standard oxygen cylinder.
Dstl Military Advisor Major Andrew Maggs said: “The ability to deliver oxygen at the point of injury represents a game-changing advance in battlefield medicine. By reducing logistical burden and improving safety, the system will provide critical care in situations where every second counts.”
The first deployment of the system is yet to be determined, but potentially means 15 prototype systems will be deployed out to operations. The system developed using a combination of off-the-shelf components is currently undergoing design work to create a mass-producible version tailored for rigorous military use. This collaboration highlights the importance of UK science and innovation in addressing real-world challenges. We’re working to ensure this technology is refined and ready to meet the demands of military and civilian operations and crises. Oxygen therapy is critical for trauma patients suffering from blood loss, head injuries and lung trauma – injuries frequently seen on the battlefield. By getting oxygen delivery directly to the point of injury, the system can dramatically improve the likelihood of survival and recovery.
Dstl’s Chief Executive Dr Paul Hollinshead said: “In operational terms, this system will reduce the logistical strain on supply chains while improving battlefield care. The ability to also reuse the system with external power or replaceable batteries means it offers unparalleled flexibility.”
In the system’s current format combining various components at a cost of approximately £15,000 per unit, efforts are underway to design an even more cost-effective system with greater scalability.
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Oxley Group Ltd
Oxley offer a range of Military Marine NVG friendly LED lighting that includes navigation lights and controls, flight deck landing lights and interior compartment lighting. Our lighting products are used by Navies around the world including our own Royal Navy on UK Aircraft Carriers, Canadian Frigates, Swedish Submarines, Australian Surface vessels and Submarines, on board French Naval Carriers and in Naval Gun Turrets.
https://oxleydevelopments.cmail20.com/t/t-l-cdhkulk-yujhutkljd-r/
The technology is extremely energy efficient and built robustly, with proven long life. The lighting is NVG friendly, dimmable and programmable to allow for operations with aircraft pilots using military night vision goggles. They offer superior design giving high reliability for the most demanding environments with high sealing and the ability to meet the most stringent EMC standards.
https://oxleydevelopments.cmail20.com/t/t-l-cdhkulk-yujhutkljd-y/
Oxley are proud to say that we are working in partnership with SeaKing to enable a control panel to be offered with our LED Navigation Lighting. All of Oxley navigation lights have been specifically developed for vessels over 50 metres.
Contact Marcus Goad on 07850 917 263 for more information or to arrange samples.
Oxley specialises in the design and manufacture of advanced electronic and electro-optic components and systems for air, land and sea applications within the military sector. Established in 1942, Oxley has manufacturing facilities in the UK and USA and enjoys representation worldwide. The company’s products include night vision and LED lighting, data capture systems and electronic components. Oxley has pioneered the development of night vision compatible lighting. It offers a total package incorporating optical filters, equipment modification, cockpit and external lighting along with fleet wide upgrade services including engineering, installation, support, maintenance and training. The company’s long experience of manufacturing night vision lighting and LED indicators, coupled with advances in LED technology, has enabled it to develop LED solutions to replace incandescent and fluorescent lighting in existing applications as well as becoming the lighting option of choice in new applications such as portable military hospitals, UAV control stations and communication shelters.
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