Tornado 2 Tempest project aims to demonstrate sustainable additive manufacturing in defense applications.
Building next-generation fighter jets is expensive and materials are a major part of the cost. Then there’s the matter of what do with all the old fighter jets that are being rendered obsolete by the next generation.
Wouldn’t it be great if there was a way to solve both problems at once?
That’s the thinking behind the UK’s Tornado 2 Tempest project, an initiative launched by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) that will see components from retired Tornado fighter jets ground down and 3D printed into new components for Tempest fighter jets. The MOD is joined in this project by Rolls-Royce and Additive Manufacturing Solutions (AMS), a UK-based additive manufacturing (AM) service provider.
AMS has already reported success in using this method to produce 3D printed nose cones and fan blades for the Rolls-Royce Orpheus engine, both of which passed suitability and safety checks on a test engine.
“This project turned our proposed solutions into a reality, and we have been very humbled and grateful to the MOD and Rolls Royce, for allowing us to showcase our capability to deliver game-changing circular economy processes and parts in Defence,” said Rob Higham, director and CEO of AMS in a press release from the company.
One might wonder whether 3D printing is strictly necessary for such a project, given that the old components could conceivably be melted down, reforged and machined using more traditional manufacturing techniques. However, as pointed out by Thomas Powell in a release from Rolls-Royce:
“Not only can this solution reduce the costs and burden of sourcing critical and high-value metals, but it can also produce components that are lighter, strong and longer lasting than those made through traditional forging techniques, thereby further enhancing the MOD’s overall sustainability and effectiveness.”
Powell is strategic and submarine recycling senior commercial manager for the Rolls-Royce Defence Recycling and Disposal Team. His point was further emphasized by a statement from Maria Eagle, the UK’s Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry:
“By working with key industry partners, we can deliver savings, reduce reliance on global supply chains and ensure our Armed Forces have the very best kit to keep our country safe.”
Sustainability and defense objectives rarely seem to align (What’s more unsustainable than war?) but in this case, through AM, the UK’s engineers are targeting material waste, carbon emissions and weaknesses in the supply chain with a single, surgical strike.
