NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland — Colorado-based startup Beehive Industries is using 3D printing to rapidly produce a low-cost jet engine designed to power uncrewed aerial systems for the Air Force.
The company’s 200-pound thrust Frenzy engine — intended for use in counter-drone systems, loitering and swarming munitions and other uncrewed defense systems — can be developed “a lot faster” than traditional drone engines because of 3D printing, which requires “fewer parts, less engineers, less time, and the development cost comes way down as well,” said Gordie Follin, chief product officer at Beehive.
