US Air Force Taps Beehive to Study 3D Printed Jet Engines

Propulsion 3D printing firm Beehive Industries secured a contract from the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center through SOSSEC. SOSSEC is a company that manages Other Transactions Authority (OTA) projects and funding. OTA funding is not a grant but a distinct financial instrument typically used for high-priority or time-sensitive projects. OTA transactions bypass the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) system and are generally awarded through consortia of firms responsible for managing them.

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center is responsible for modernizing the Air Force’s equipment and sustainment. It has tasked Beehive with the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) Propulsion Studies Prototype Project. The CCA is an effort by the U.S. to control the rising costs of fighter aircraft while maintaining the Air Force’s preference for piloted aircraft and acknowledging a fundamental reality: U.S. military equipment and weapons are extraordinarily expensive.

The CCA and the broader concept of manned-unmanned teaming serve as methadone for the sheepskin jackets and sunglasses set. Beehive Industries’ contract for this study is a significant win for the military-focused additive manufacturing firm.

The study will have Beehive evaluate a 3D-printed engine designed for the CCA. Through additive manufacturing, the Air Force aims to increase the CCA’s range and cruise speed while also expanding its payload capacity. The engine, in the 1,000 lb thrust class, is expected to pave the way for a family of scalable, rapidly producible engines ranging from 500 to 5,000 pounds of thrust. These engines could be lightweight, mass-produced, and adaptable for various platforms.

A 1,000-pound thrust engine is roughly a tenth of what large wide-body aircraft engines generate. This new 3D-printed engine family will resemble the Pratt & Whitney PW600 class, which powers civilian Eclipse 500 jets. The Williams EJ22 was the revolutionary design that enabled a new category of light jets—and a wide range of missiles. Though the EJ22 was initially intended for the Eclipse but was not selected, the innovations it introduced transformed aviation. Now, it seems the Air Force is looking to spark a similar revolution through 3D printing.

The high-end systems the U.S. develops lead to equally costly and complex maintenance and operations, resulting in a limited number of available vehicles. In a prolonged conflict, rather than a short engagement, this approach becomes a significant constraint. Equipment will inevitably break, aircraft will be lost, and, as with submarines and ships, the overall calculus will eventually reach a breaking point. Another article on the disruption of the U.S. military explores this issue in greater detail.

In short, the U.S. does not have enough kit to sustain itself on the modern battlefield. The widespread use of low-cost drones and the advancing capabilities of surface-to-air missiles make the battlefield increasingly dangerous for the U.S.’s limited number of high-end aircraft.

Drone warfare and drone-on-drone combat are clearly the next frontier. However, according to the Air Force, fighter jets must have pilots. Just as a unicorn without a horn would simply be a white horse, a fighter jet, in their view, must have a human pilot. After all, who else would they put on the recruitment posters? This adherence to outdated doctrine stems more from historical imagery and tradition than from actual military needs.

As a result, we are entering a scenario reminiscent of the Polish cavalry charges at the start of World War II—brave soldiers on horseback charging into machine guns mounted on half-tracks.

The CCA, therefore, is emphatically not an unmanned fighter. Instead, it is a helpmate, a buddy—a cute little robot friend. Imagine painting a smiley face on a cobot and telling the workers on the packaging line to welcome their new helper, Cobo the Robo. “He’s not here to replace you; he’s your friend.” The lies we tell the ones we love.

The CCA is designed to be a cheaper, more expendable bodyguard for fighter aircraft. The project is progressing along two paths, one led by Anduril and the other by General Atomics. The YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A fighters emerging from this program could become some of the most significant aircraft the U.S. has ever developed. If the U.S. executes its CCA strategy correctly, it will be well-positioned for UAV-on-UAV warfare and will extend the lifespan of its $2 trillion Joint Strike Fighter program. Additionally, the CCA will enhance the ability to engage lower-altitude targets and support ground troops in increasingly contested environments.

However, if the program fails, the U.S. risks being caught flat-footed in a rapidly evolving battlefield dominated by lower-cost, quickly developed autonomous drones—while it remains burdened with expensive, less maneuverable show horses. The CCA Propulsion Studies Prototype Project is something we should be paying much closer attention to.