MARTIN STATE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Md. – As modern warfare evolves and global logistics grow more contested, the U.S. Air Force faces mounting challenges in building and sustaining critical infrastructure in dynamic, high-risk environments. For Air Force Civil Engineers, meeting these challenges requires agile, deployable solutions that enhance operational effectiveness and ensure mission success.
One such innovation—the Expeditionary 3D Concrete Printer—is being developed by the 175th Civil Engineer Squadron at Martin State Air National Guard Base, Maryland, to rapidly build fortified infrastructure that supports warfighters and sustains operations in contested environments.
“The idea came from carefully considering the role of Air Force Civil Engineers in future conflicts,” Maj. Brian Vickers, Deputy Base Civil Engineer and project manager for the Expeditionary 3D Concrete Printer, explained. “The Air Force Civil Engineer enterprise has been largely focused on base maintenance and sustainment for over a decade, and our ability to rapidly construct and repair austere airfields and infrastructure on a large scale will likely be strained in future conflicts.”
Traditional construction methods, while proven and reliable, can require significant manpower, time, and materials, as well as extensive skills—factors that can lead to longer build times, higher costs, and greater logistical complexity. In contrast, the Expeditionary 3D Concrete Printer streamlines construction with minimal manpower—just three Airmen—and uses one of the world’s most available materials.
“By building with concrete, occupants of these buildings are far more protected from blasts, fragmentation, and small-arms fire,” Vickers described. The ability to print curved walls, which offer superior blast resistance, coupled with concrete’s natural thermal properties, better enhances both survivability and energy efficiency. In an effort to further improve blast resistance, the 175th CES team and partners from the Massachusetts National Guard and the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN) are exploring the development of optimized 3D concrete-printed wall designs, which they plan to subject to controlled-blast testing to validate.
Partnership is at the heart of the 175th CES team’s approach to turning their vision of an operationally ready Expeditionary 3D Concrete Printer into a reality. They initially obtained Squadron Innovation Funds to test the printer’s feasibility. Through the AFWERX Refinery, the team also secured additional stakeholders and resources to expedite testing and potential adoption. Early trials proved successful but highlighted the need for ruggedization and portability. Alongside industry partner X-Hab 3D, the team modified the commercial model—reinforcing components, automating processes, and simplifying controls—to make it field-ready and combat-capable.
Following training with the X-Hab 3D team at Penn State University in April 2024, the team transported the 3D printer to its new home at Martin State ANGB. This marked the 175th CES as the first operational Air Force unit with a 3D concrete printer. Wasting no time, they sprang into action and completed their first independent on-base print only the following month—proving not just the system’s viability, but that the project team is more than ready for the task.
Among notable milestones thus far has been a public demonstration on the National Mall, showcasing the technology’s potential to an audience of Congressional stakeholders. Another came when team member Tech. Sgt. Joshua Frost attempted to destroy their first print with a sledgehammer, a mere 18 hours after printing—and failed. “The concrete was so hard; far stronger than typical concrete,” Vickers said, “a tremendous nod to the potential uses of this technology.”
Looking ahead, collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will seek to ensure additive manufacturing codes are updated to reflect advancements such as the 3D concrete printer, aligning military standards with the future of building and design. The team is also looking to conduct soil-to-concrete research using native soils to understand how to mitigate material sourcing challenges across different environments and strategic military locations.
As for the next build project, the 175th CES plans to print a full-scale structure to house the equipment. If successful, the structure has the potential to be “a model for a concrete replacement of the SSS Tent that has been a DoD standard for several decades,” anticipates Vickers.
“Our team was trained to use the 3D Concrete Printer in just four days—a remarkably fast timeline for such a revolutionary technology,” Vickers emphasized. “If adopted, this capability could extend beyond RED HORSE (Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron of Engineers) units to PRIME BEEF (Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force) units, significantly expanding the Air Force Civil Engineer enterprise’s construction and repair capabilities.”
Scaling the technology will require investment, training, and integration—but the benefits are undeniable. “Impactful innovations require impactful organizational change,” Vickers said.
Poised to revolutionize expeditionary construction, the Expeditionary 3D Concrete Printer offers the Air Force a faster, safer, and more resilient approach to infrastructure—reinforcing combat power through enhanced survivability and rapid response. As Vickers put it, the potential is “theoretically unlimited,” enabling Airmen to meet more highly complex mission demands and build what they need, when and where they need it.