Groundbreaking First Arena Test on 3D Printed Bombs Shows Promise

For much of his career, Russ Maines has been dedicated to designing bombs with cast, forged or pressed metals. However, these bombs were expensive and not scalable. So, as a Test and Evaluation Division Director at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division (NSWC IHD), he aims to combine traditional manufacturing technology with innovative methods like 3D printing. Now, the NSWC IHD has completed the first arena tests on general bombs with 3D printed cross-sections, and the results were more than promising.

The tests, completed at Fort Walker, Virginia, used a bomb that was 3D printed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. It was provided to NSWC IHD so they could assess its lethality. According to the NSWC IHD press release, Detonation and Combustion Technology Branch engineers oversaw the test and hand-packed the novel case with C4. Then, they staged the arena, set up cameras and monitored gauges for data collection.

Test arena immediately after detonation of the test article

While more tests are needed, these first tests were successful. Maines explained, “So far, the data says there’s no reason to stop. And now, we see our models need adjustments.” The team’s data showed that the bombs were not only effective but also had qualities that were not even expected. For instance, they reported improved blast physics and bomb fragmentation.