Sponsored By Oxley Developments
www.oxleygroup.com
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04 Aug 25. US Navy looks to additive manufacturing for supply chain solution. Marotta produced components with a 70% reduction in lead time compared to conventional acquisition.
The US Navy is continuing to roll out its additive manufactured programme onboard an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, offering potential solutions to supply chain issues that have plagued the US military in recent years.
The chilled water valve (Model MV286A) was installed in April 2025 aboard the unnamed US Navy warship as part of a service-sponsored initiative to integrate additive manufacturing technology into fleet operations under the Maritime Sustainment Technology and Innovation Consortium (MSTIC).
“We remain committed to partnering with the US Navy on advanced manufacturing techniques that push the technical envelope of performance,” said Bryan Begane, vice president, Naval Systems, Marotta Controls, which manufactured the valve.
In a 30 July 2025 release, Marotta said the initiative began as a “targeted response” to longstanding supply chain challenges.
Marotta selected the MV286A valve body as a candidate for redesign due to its historically long procurement time—29 weeks for a traditional sand-cast brass body—and significant quality control issues related to porosity and part rejection rates.
In producing the component, the company’s engineering team replaced the brass valve body with a requalified version produced via Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) using Inconel 625, a corrosion-resistant nickel superalloy.
(Source: naval-technology.com)
04 Aug 25. USINDOPACOM launches new manufacturing facility. The Forge will use 3D printing, casting and forging, rapid prototyping and precision machining manufacturing technologies. The US Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) has marked the initial opening of “The Forge,” an advanced manufacturing facility at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. The soft opening held on 28 July 2025, was attended by USINDOPACOM commander admiral Samuel Paparo, marking a significant milestone in the partnership between USINDOPACOM and the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Innovation Capability and Modernization (ICAM) Office. The new installation is designed to support innovative production methods within the military infrastructure. Funded through the DoD’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program, The Forge is equipped with advanced technologies such as 3D printing, casting and forging, rapid prototyping and precision machining. These capabilities aim to secure the military’s technological edge and support the Joint Force’s sustainability efforts.
“Advanced manufacturing gives Hawaii a strategic advantage as this technology will revolutionise our defence capabilities and operational readiness in unprecedented ways. As the tip of the spear, we must move faster to harness the full potential this manufacturing revolution offers our readiness capabilities, yet we cannot adapt fast enough,” Paparo said. (Source: army-technology.com)
04 Aug 25. Hawkeye Platoon Leads Army Innovation With Tactical Drones, 3D-Printed Lethality. When the U.S. Army officially ended the RQ-7B Shadow platform in April 2024, it left a void for soldiers trained in unmanned aerial operations. But for Hawkeye Platoon, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, it was also an opportunity to redefine how small units integrate drone technology in the modern fight. Backed by brigade-level funding, the platoon now leads the charge into a new era of Army aviation. The 173rd Airborne Brigade invested in four PDW C100 drones as well as a fleet of custom-built first person view drones, many designed and assembled by the soldiers themselves using commercial parts and 3D printed components.
“I flew the FPV, which is a first person view aircraft,” said Army Staff Sgt. Andy Ortiz, a master trainer and drone pilot. “The reason why it could increase the lethality of the platoon or the Army in general is because it’s super cheap to build and you can 3D print what you want on the aircraft. If it breaks, we fix it in-house.”
Ortiz explained that an entire FPV drone setup costs around $400 to $500 and can be built in just a few hours.
“Even a beginner can build it in four hours,” he said. “It’s hard to fly at first, but once you learn the simulator and get good, you can speed up the kill chain. Instead of calling for fire support, someone in your platoon could take out the target with a drone carrying C4.”
Hawkeye Platoon doesn’t just fly drones: they build them, repair them and constantly innovate with modular payloads to simulate real-world combat effects. The unit’s mobile lab functions as a forward tech shop in which soldiers can fabricate FPV parts, test explosive mockups and maintain drone readiness in the field.
According to Army Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Daniels, platoon sergeant, the PDW C100 expands even further on the tactical use cases.
“Today, we saw the PDW C100 mission sets, able to drop speedballs or any supplies to a main or forward aid station,” Daniels said. “If the mission is beyond 2 or 3 kilometers, we can upload the mission and the drone will complete it autonomously and return.”
With a range of up to 10 kilometers and a flight endurance of 74 minutes, the PDW C100 allows small units to push supplies or conduct reconnaissance deep into the battlespace without maintaining line of sight; an advantage especially critical in mountainous or contested terrain.
On the other hand, FPV drones, while cheaper and faster to field, require direct line of sight between the operator and the aircraft to remain effective. Despite this limitation, Hawkeye Platoon has embraced them as a powerful tool for short-range strikes and reconnaissance.
“An infantry platoon should be stacked up with FPV drones,” Ortiz said. “They’re cheap, easy to build and can close the kill chain fast when you attach simulated munitions.”
Daniels said the training model is designed for scalability across the brigade. The drone manufacturer conducts initial instruction through a train the trainer model. Once certified, noncommissioned officers like those in Hawkeye Platoon can train other soldiers throughout the formation.
The Army’s pivot to small uncrewed aircraft systems has opened the door for this kind of unit-level innovation. As warfighting evolves, soldiers must also operate within it. Hawkeye Platoon embodies that shift, transforming from legacy platform operators into agile, tech savvy instructors and battlefield integrators. What began as a gap in capability after the retirement of the Shadow platform has become an incubator for battlefield innovation, where lethality is printed, built and flown by the platoon itself. These real-world training exercises were conducted during Agile Spirit 25, a U.S. Army Europe and Africa-led, multinational exercise designed to enhance interoperability and readiness with allied and partner forces. Held annually in Georgia, the exercise provides a live operational environment for units like Hawkeye Platoon to test emerging technologies, validate mission sets and lead the way in shaping the future of Army lethality. (Source: U.S. DoD)
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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.
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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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