Velo3D Wins $11.5M Defense Production Contract for National Security Program

The Contract

Velo3D has secured an $11.5 million multi-year full-rate production contract from a key US defense prime contractor. The contract supports what the company describes as a "high-profile national security program" entering full-rate production.

This is not a prototype or development deal — it's production. The distinction matters. For years, additive manufacturing in defense has been stuck in the qualification and demonstration phases. This contract signals that metal AM has crossed into operational deployment.

The Technology

The contract leverages Velo3D's Rapid Production Solution (RPS), which combines the company's industrial-scale Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) technology with manufacturing software and workflows.

Velo3D's Sapphire printers, assembled in the United States, can produce parts up to 600mm in diameter and one meter in height. The company emphasizes dimensional consistency across its entire printer fleet — critical for scaling defense programs where parts must be interchangeable regardless of which machine produced them.

Defense Context

This contract follows Velo3D's earlier defense wins. In December 2025, the company was qualified as the first additive manufacturing vendor for US Army ground vehicles. The defense sector is increasingly adopting metal AM for mission-critical components, driven by supply chain resilience requirements and the ability to produce complex geometries impossible with traditional manufacturing.

Velo3D CEO Dr. Arun Jeldi noted that the contract "signals the trust and confidence our customers have in Velo3D to scale programs rapidly through faster part delivery, enhanced reliability, and the surge capacity needed to meet evolving demands."

The Bigger Picture

Defense spending on additive manufacturing continues to accelerate. The US Department of Defense has identified AM as a critical technology for maintaining readiness and reducing dependence on fragile supply chains. Velo3D's win is part of a broader trend: metal AM moving from the lab to the production line.

For Velo3D, which has faced financial headwinds as a public company, this contract provides validation that its technology can meet defense requirements — and revenue that strengthens its position in an industry where qualification takes years but contracts can last decades.