Picatinny Arsenal briefs Army’s DEVCOM chief on 3D printing for drone defense

Brig. Gen. Robert Born, commanding general of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM), was briefed on 3D printing and additive manufacturing techniques used to rapidly prototype drone lethality and drone defense technologies during a visit to the DEVCOM Armaments Center at Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey. 

Born toured the center with senior enlisted advisor Command Sgt. Maj. Thinh Huynh and met with Chris Grassano, its director.

Picatinny Arsenal holds the Department of Defense’s designation as the Joint Center of Excellence for Guns and Ammunition and is home to the Program Acquisition Executive Agile Sustainment and Acquisition (PAE AS&A) office, led by Maj. Gen. Christopher D. Schneider.

“When you look at all the realignment that has occurred, Picatinny Arsenal has historically been the central focal point of all munitions and energetics,” said Col. Jason Bohannon, PAE AS&A chief of staff. “We have been building cannons here since the Revolutionary War.”

“The general’s visit highlighted the depth of our unique national defense capability, from full life-cycle armaments engineering and automated test capabilities to safety-critical armaments software, advanced fire control, and integrated unmanned aerial systems (UAS)/counter-UAS technologies,” said Bhavanjot Singh, acting executive director for the Armaments Center’s Weapons and Software Engineering Center.

“Brig. Gen. Born saw how our civilian experts work closely with industry to ensure armament systems are designed, tested, matured and sustained to deliver precise, reliable and effective lethality for the Warfighter at the speed of relevance.”