06 Nov 25. Stratasys (NASDAQ: SSYS) recently participated in Trident Warrior 25, the U.S. Navy’s flagship Fleet experimentation exercise, demonstrating how advanced manufacturing keeps military units operational at sea and in forward-deployed locations. In partnership with FLEETWERX and the Naval Postgraduate School’s Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing Research and Education (CAMRE), Stratasys supported the Joint Advanced Manufacturing Cell (JAMC) with field-deployable 3D printers and on-demand production through Stratasys Direct. The JAMC was the Department of Defense’s largest distributed manufacturing demonstration to date, connecting assets across more than 8,000 miles. The exercise allowed the Navy to print parts in theater or reach back to Stratasys Direct for higher-volume or complex production, creating a wide-ranging ecosystem of support and options across forward-deployed locations. During the exercise, seven different sites across the global leveraged Stratasys printers, with all parts meeting U.S. military specifications. Trident Warrior 25 also demonstrated that by deploying 3D printers in the field, there is reduced reliance on traditional logistics chains. Lightweight, corrosion-resistant polymer parts were used to create new components, replace broken parts, and produce rapid prototypes in-theater, supported by reach-back production from Stratasys Direct.
FLEETWERX
“Trident Warrior 25 demonstrated the value of a multi-echelon polymer advanced manufacturing network,” said Morgan Bower, Program Manager, FLEETWERX. “By pairing field-ready solutions in forward-deployed environments with cutting-edge manufacturing expertise, the team cut lead times for critical components and boosted mission resilience.”
Naval Postgraduate School
“Our collaboration with Stratasys and FLEETWERX during Trident Warrior highlights how academia, industry, and the military can work together to validate and accelerate new technologies,” said Chris C. Curran, Program Manager, CAMRE. “These efforts are crucial to building resilient, distributed manufacturing ecosystems for the fleet.”
U.S. Military
“We’re focused on integrating advanced manufacturing into logistics and maintenance operations to enhance readiness and resilience,” said Lieutenant Colonel, Michael D. Radigan, U.S. Marine Corps., Marine Innovation Unit. “Exercises like Trident Warrior demonstrate how distributed manufacturing will add resilience to supply chains and deliver increased readiness and lethality to combatant commanders.”
Trident Warrior 25 showcased the practical benefits of additive manufacturing while highlighting the importance of hands-on operator training. Through its partnership with FLEETWERX, the Naval Postgraduate School’s CAMRE provides sailors with real-world experience using 3D printing, enabling them to apply polymer-based solutions directly to mission-critical challenges and help reduce downtime.
“Trident Warrior 25 showed that combining forward-deployed 3D printing with reach-back production provides fast, reliable, and scalable solutions,” said Foster Ferguson, Vice President, Industrial Business, Stratasys. “Supporting both in-theater printing and Stratasys Direct on-demand production helped reduce downtime and maintain readiness, demonstrating practical, scalable solutions across thousands of miles.”
05 Nov 25. At this year’s Air Force exercise Timber Express 2025, sensor specialist HENSOLDT demonstrated what software-defined, system-integrated, hardware-enabled and process-supported command and control capability looks like in practice. With the OPTARION operational support system (EUA) as well as new software, radio and integration capabilities, HENSOLDT made a decisive contribution to the networking of multinational task forces. The aim of the exercise was to network weapon systems of different branches of the armed forces in a common tactical data network and to further develop their interoperability. HENSOLDT demonstrated its ability to integrate complex command and control architectures end-to-end, from the command information system to the aircraft platform and back. The OPTARION EEA formed the technological bridge between different data links and systems. For the first time, it enabled the fully digital management of an NH90 helicopter robber in a multinational network, without parallel voice communication – a milestone for future-oriented command support. With the integration of the latest EUA TakOp configuration status and an extended interface to SitaWare headquarters, HENSOLDT showed how intelligent system integration increases tactical effectiveness and resilience in equal measure. In addition, new operational procedures were tested in the area of data links, based on the capabilities of the EEA New Technologies (NT) under development. Another focus was on the integration and testing of two RF antenna arrays, one of which was operated more than 100 kilometers from Manching. Thanks to the successful cluster operation, it was not only possible to address technical challenges, but also to take into account current operational requirements, such as the avoidance of conspicuous infrastructures in use, in a practical manner. The close cooperation between Battle Captains, EUA administrators and HENSOLDT experts impressively demonstrated that interoperability does not come about through technology alone, but where technical know-how and operational process understanding go hand in hand.
“Timber Express 2025 was much more than a technical exercise,” emphasizes Alex Irmscher, Project Manager Ground Stations at HENSOLDT. “We have shown that networked operations management is a reality – integrated, adaptive and future-proof.”
03 Nov 25. HAVELSAN Strengthens Armored Forces Readiness Through Advanced Tank Simulation Technologies. HAVELSAN, one of Türkiye’s leading defense and technology companies, is enhancing the training and operational readiness of land forces through its advanced tank simulation systems. The company’s comprehensive training solutions developed for the ALTAY Main Battle Tank reflect an integrated and forward-looking approach to modern armored warfare training, developed in close coordination with the Turkish Land Forces’ class schools and training centers. This training hub blends classroom environments with open and semi-open mock-up/simulator areas and dedicated VR laboratories to create a unified ecosystem for learning. HAVELSAN’s systems feature a hybrid architecture that merges real mechanical structures with virtual and augmented reality environments. This design allows tank crews and maintenance personnel to experience operational missions, fault scenarios, and maintenance procedures under highly realistic conditions. As part of the hub’s classroom concept, multi-camera streaming to large displays enables instructors to oversee exercises in real time while multiple groups participate concurrently. The training scope covers individual and crew instruction across user operation, maintenance and troubleshooting, emergency procedures, and multi-mission scenarios—tailored to Fire Control, Communications, and Command-and-Control subsystems. The Virtual Maintenance and Fault Simulation System models the tank’s electrical and cabling infrastructure in three dimensions, enabling trainees to follow actual maintenance procedures within a digital environment. Participants can perform tests using virtual measurement tools, detect faults, and simulate the entire troubleshooting process step by step, accelerating familiarization with otherwise non-visible units and harnesses. Another key element of the program, the Live Turret Training Model, is equipped with a domestically developed motion system, marking one of Türkiye’s first dynamic training platforms of this scale. Incorporating real turret and hull components, the system delivers a high level of operational realism that mirrors the field environment, and supports sustained, repeatable training without platform wear. Drawing on its extensive expertise in simulation engineering, systems integration, and training technologies, HAVELSAN has applied its experience to create a sustainable, scalable, and user-focused training ecosystem for armored platforms. Within this program scope, HAVELSAN will deliver 44 product types—94 training products in total—in 10 batches, with the first batch scheduled for the end of 2025 and deliveries continuing over the subsequent three years. Tank simulation technologies are increasingly recognized as a vital component of modern combat readiness. Through the ALTAY platform, HAVELSAN is not only strengthening the preparedness of armored units but also offering a training model that meets international standards and export requirements, enabling partner forces to adopt a proven, interoperable approach. With this project, HAVELSAN aims to contribute not only to Türkiye’s land systems training infrastructure but also to the global digital transformation of armored training. By delivering highly realistic yet cost-effective training experiences—without incurring real-tank operating costs such as fuel, spares, and additional manpower—HAVELSAN’s systems address the essential priorities of modern militaries: readiness, safety, and sustainability. (Source: ASD Network)