Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking towards the use of 3D printing for maintenance and repair in all three branches of the armed services.

The National Armaments Director Group are accelerating Defence adoption of additive manufacturing (AM) through Project TAMPA, working with industry, including Defence primes and small and medium enterprises, to improve supply chain resilience and platform availability. UK Defence Innovation is funding a 2-year sprint to accelerate the adoption of advanced manufacturing. This will support coherence across the Military Commands, facilitate regulatory compliance and adoption of safe and secure practices in alignment with the Defence Advanced Manufacturing Strategy.

The Royal Navy (RN) are employing additive manufacturing across multiple shore locations and selected vessels to produce spare parts as part of ongoing innovation efforts. This technology has primarily been utilised for low-complexity, non-critical but important components, allowing the RN to build experience and confidence in its application. HMNB Clyde, the home of the Submarine Service, have AM capabilities to support in-service submarines through obsolescence and supply limitations. Multiple components were additively manufactured for HMS ANSON using Australian sovereign AM capabilities during her recent maintenance period at HMAS Stirling.

The Army Equipment Support Publication for Land Systems Expedient Repair outlines the process for applying AM across the Army in the delivery of maintenance and repair. The Army have a permanent capability deployed in Estonia on Op CABRIT, and have recently placed capability in Cyprus, with forward locations supported by a network of advanced manufacturing nodes across the UK.

Since 2020 the RAF have delivered multiple AM parts to front line platforms, helping to return aircraft to availability months earlier. This year, the RAF will release a strategy outlining their ambition by 2030 to make AM business‑as‑usual within the supply chain for both on‑ and off‑aircraft components.