The DIU’s mission is to expedite the use of commercial technology within the military. In November, for instance, the DIU put out a solicitation for inexpensive drones — costing less than $6,000 for a complete system — that could be used for short-range reconnaissance flights and that would take no more than two minutes for one person to assemble.
While the use of 3D printing to build whole structures in much of the civilian commercial construction industry has been limited to one-off specialty projects, the military has found practical applications. The U.S.
