RAF & INTREPID MINDS COLLABORATE ON FIRST FULLY 3D PRINTED UNMANNED AIR STRUCTURE

Warwickshire; UK. May 11th 2022 - The battlespace of the future will require the ability to adapt quickly, at great pace, whilst producing sufficient combat mass to be effective and ultimately succeed. Exploring novel and innovative ways to get ahead in “prototype warfare”, Pj Pizookie is a first step in understanding how the existing limitations can be surpassed using existing technology. A collaboration between the RAF’s Rapid Capabilities Office and Intrepid Minds to design, build and manufacture two air vehicles to better understand the challenges and benefits of using additive manufacture and iterative design to push the boundaries of performance and cost beyond existing COTS platforms currently in the uncrewed air system market. The project has designed and built two separate air vehicles, one propelled by two jet engines and the other by a turbo-prop engine and moved quickly through design and manufacture to first flight in 14 months, Intrepid Minds developed new and innovative ways to 3D manufacture the major structural components of the aircraft to give similar properties to mainstream aircraft structures, whilst saving weight and development/manufacture time, culminating with flying a 3D printed, dual jet powered air vehicle in late 2021.

Jez Holmes OBE, Head of the Royal Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office said:?

“The RAF RCO is proud to be working with some great small and medium enterprises as part of the UK’s wider industrial strategy. Pizookie is an example of brilliant UK innovation utilising digital design and 3D printing to build the jet-powered Pizookie platform, proving out the path for the rapid design, build, test and fielding of next generation capability options.”

Intrepid Minds Managing Director Adam Smith said:

‘Working with the RCO unit gives SME companies the scope and agility to do great things. The leadership and vision around this platform from both sides, has materialised into an output in under 14 months, from blank paper to working prototype. The RAF now have a credible platform from which to build and develop limited only by their imagination’