For U.S. soldiers who find themselves at the front lines of a future conflict, it’s fast becoming gospel, due to the way warfare is rapidly evolving on the battlefields of Ukraine, that drones will be crucial to winning (or losing) the fight

SAN DIEGO – Firestorm Labs, a defense contractor that made its name building military drones, is moving into new headquarters in Miramar to accommodate the company’s explosive growth.

A new 3D printing company has opened its doors in Mira Mesa, specializing in building drones for the U.S. military.

Firestorm Labs secures $47M Series A to expand point-of-need manufacturing and for defense and battlefield operations.

Firestorm Labs, Inc., the leader in advanced additive manufacturing and drone production, has secured exclusive distribution rights from HP Inc. for its mobile Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) 3D printing technologies. This collaboration cements Firestorm as the sole provider of HP’s high-performance 3D printers in mobile and field-deployable environments and marks a major leap forward in how commercial, humanitarian, and medical sectors respond to urgent, on-the-ground needs. 

Brett Barbee, vice president of business development for defense company Firestorm, was in attendance informing people about the company’s Tempest 50 uncrewed autonomous system. The small aircraft, which weighs less than 55 pounds, is entirely 3-D printed in a matter of hours. They can then have a fully operational platform in 36 hours.

Holmes said the nearly 80 technologies currently on display at Camp Atterbury were selected for testing in 2022. If successful, those projects will advance towards acquisition and operation in 2025.