en.Wedoany.com Reported - Ukrainian drone manufacturer Wild Hornets is significantly reducing production costs and increasing output by deploying desktop 3D printers on a large scale, currently achieving a daily production capacity of approximately 100 drones.
According to DOU, the company is expanding its 3D printing footprint, primarily using Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) desktop printers from Bambu Lab and ELEGOO, rather than expensive industrial-grade systems. This strategy enables mass production of plastic drone components while accelerating manufacturing speed, allowing for faster design iterations as enemy tactics evolve.
Industry experts noted in a recent report by 3D Printing Industry that desktop 3D printers offer several advantages in rapidly changing digital and aerial combat scenarios, including lower manufacturing costs, rapid prototyping support, and easy scalability by adding new printers instead of building new molds. In the current context, Ukraine continues to face enemy threats—the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) reports that Russia has increased investment in Iranian Shahed-type drones, with attacks escalating.
In-house affordable manufacturing also covers battery packs, flight controllers, and other electronic equipment and components, all of which help reduce costs and support Ukraine's defense efforts while decreasing reliance on third parties and external supply chains.
Regarding the application of artificial intelligence in drone warfare, an anonymous spokesperson from Wild Hornets told DOU that AI has limited use in identification and navigation but is beginning to expand. However, adding AI capabilities to each drone currently increases costs by $150 to $500, making it an expensive consideration.
Looking ahead, the company finds that defense partners' interest has extended beyond drone hardware to the entire "Hornet Vision" suite, which includes digital video transmission, remote control, artificial intelligence, and more. This system was originally designed because Chinese digital control systems became unavailable due to ongoing geopolitical conflicts, but the company recently successfully demonstrated remote operation of its "Sting" interceptor drone from 2,000 kilometers outside Ukraine, leading to growing partner interest in the complete hardware and software suite.
Despite the rising threat of autonomous aerial threats, the anonymous spokesperson told DOU that drone swarms do not exist as portrayed externally, describing them as "a cool legend and a scam mechanism to extract money from naive investors." The company promises to incorporate drone swarm technology when it truly emerges and develops, but currently it is neither an option nor a realistic threat. "We hope the war ends," the spokesperson added. "At that point, we will no longer focus on increasing production volume, but on technology, R&D, design solutions, and cooperation with foreign partners."
