GKN Aerospace Unveils 3D-Printed UAV Demonstrator and Turbojet for Sweden

A Rapid Pace From Contract to Mock-Up

GKN Aerospace has pulled back the curtain on Project Otto, its clean-sheet uncrewed aerial vehicle demonstrator for Sweden. The company displayed a full-scale mock-up alongside the dedicated turbojet engine at The Armed Forces Air Venture 2026 at Malmen Air Base in Linkoping, an event marking the Swedish Air Force centenary. The November 2025 contract gave GKN 18 months to deliver a flying demonstrator. Nine months in, the hardware is already on public view.

Joakim Andersson, President of Engines at GKN Aerospace, said the milestone reflects close collaboration with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration and the Swedish Armed Forces, plus the combined expertise of teams across Sweden, the Netherlands, and the UK.

What Project Otto Actually Is

The demonstrator is designed to carry a payload of 100 to 300 kilograms over distances of 600 to 1,000 kilometers. Those numbers place it closer to a long-range strike system than a small recon drone. GKN is handling the airframe, the turbojet engine, and the onboard systems, drawing on propulsion, aerostructures, and systems integration work from its European sites.

The program is built around speed. The goal is to prove that complex aerospace systems can be developed, integrated, and manufactured on compressed timelines. The first flight is expected no later than early 2027.

Why It Matters

Project Otto is a signal about how defense procurement is shifting. Rather than a decades-long development cycle with fixed requirements, the FMV awarded a contract with aggressive milestones and accepted early visibility into the hardware. GKN's ability to show a full-scale mock-up and a running engine in under a year suggests the model is working, at least so far.

For the additive manufacturing world, the interest lies in what comes next. If the demonstrator moves into production, the supply chain for its airframe and engine parts will likely involve advanced manufacturing processes, including metal 3D printing for low-volume, high-complexity components.

Next Steps

Development and testing continue. Preparations are underway for flight-test activities, and GKN is using the demonstrator as a flexible platform for evaluating future uncrewed aviation technologies. The experience gained from Project Otto is expected to feed into larger programs as Sweden and its partners look to expand their unmanned capabilities.