Multiple outlets report that Firestorm Labs supports a drone production effort aboard the USS Essex using a containerized “microfactory” that enables manufacturing without shore resupply. The reporting says service members on the ship use the onboard system to 3D-print first-person view (FPV) drones. According to the sources, the crew produces a batch of 12 FPV drones during the initiative.
The articles characterize the work as demonstrating shipboard production capability—using containerized manufacturing equipment—rather than relying on parts and drones provided from shore. While details beyond the reported number of drones and the type of manufacturing are limited across the sources, all three accounts align on the same core elements: Firestorm Labs’ involvement, the USS Essex as the platform, the use of a containerized microfactory, and the production of 12 3D-printed FPV drones onboard without shore resupply.
