28th Infantry Division Wins Army Innovation Award for 3D Printed Drone Recovery System

National Guard Takes Top Innovation Prize

A team from the Pennsylvania Army National Guard has won the innovation category at the U.S. Army's inaugural Best Drone Warfighter Competition, held February 17-19 at the Huntsville Test Range in Alabama. The 28th Infantry Division was the only National Guard unit to compete in all three categories — Best Operator, Best Tactical Squad, and Best Innovation.

Project R.E.D.: Recovery Exploitation Drone

The winning project, called Project R.E.D. (Recovery Exploitation Drone), features a drone equipped with AI-enabled object-recognition software and a robotic, 3D-printed carbon fiber arm with a claw mechanism. The system identifies downed enemy or friendly drones and uses the claw to grab the UAV and fly it back for intel exploitation or repair.

"This is a great achievement for the team and the UAS facility as well as the Pennsylvania National Guard as a whole," said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Reed, the 28th ID team captain. "Competing against the entire Army, putting in the work and coming out on top really speaks volumes to what the team has been doing."

3D Printing Enables Rapid Prototyping

The use of 3D-printed carbon fiber components allowed the team to rapidly prototype and iterate on the robotic arm design. This approach mirrors the broader trend of military adoption of additive manufacturing for field-deployable solutions.

The team received an Army Research Lab drone prototype and a one-year research-and-development agreement to continue working with ARL on design improvements.

Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll presented the winners with plaques at the awards ceremony on February 19.

What This Means for Military 3D Printing

The win highlights how 3D printing is becoming integral to military innovation cycles. The ability to rapidly prototype functional components — in this case, a working robotic arm — gives smaller units the ability to develop solutions that previously would have required major defense contractor involvement.