{"id":20023787,"date":"2026-09-04T10:21:04","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T08:21:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/aevex-divergent-3d-printed-autonomous-aircraft-daps-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-09-04T10:21:35","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T08:21:35","slug":"aevex-divergent-3d-printed-autonomous-aircraft-daps-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/aevex-divergent-3d-printed-autonomous-aircraft-daps-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"AEVEX and Divergent Will 3D-Print an Autonomous Aircraft"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n\r\n<p>Two Californian companies announced this week that they are going to build an autonomous aircraft together. They did not say what it is, who it is for, what it costs, or when it flies. Ordinarily that would be a press release to ignore.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>This one is worth a second look, because of how they intend to build it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>AEVEX Corp. and Divergent Technologies are pairing AEVEX\u2019s unmanned systems work with Divergent\u2019s manufacturing platform \u2014 a process that replaces cut metal tooling with 3D-printed metal structures, AI-assisted design and robots. It is the same system Lockheed Martin\u2019s Skunk Works used to go from a blank sheet to a flying drone in under a year.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f5f5f5;padding:20px 24px;margin:26px 0;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:700;font-size:17px;color:#0d1117\">Quick Facts<\/p><table style=\"width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:15px\"><tr><td style=\"padding:5px 12px 5px 0;color:#555;vertical-align:top;width:38%\"><strong>Companies<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"padding:5px 0;color:#222\">AEVEX Corp. (Solana Beach, CA) and Divergent Technologies (Torrance, CA)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:5px 12px 5px 0;color:#555;vertical-align:top;width:38%\"><strong>Announced<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"padding:5px 0;color:#222\">Early September 2026<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:5px 12px 5px 0;color:#555;vertical-align:top;width:38%\"><strong>Product<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"padding:5px 0;color:#222\">A new autonomous aircraft platform<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:5px 12px 5px 0;color:#555;vertical-align:top;width:38%\"><strong>Contract value<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"padding:5px 0;color:#222\">Not disclosed<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:5px 12px 5px 0;color:#555;vertical-align:top;width:38%\"><strong>Customer<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"padding:5px 0;color:#222\">Not disclosed<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:5px 12px 5px 0;color:#555;vertical-align:top;width:38%\"><strong>Divergent\u2019s process<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"padding:5px 0;color:#222\">Divergent Adaptive Production System (DAPS)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:5px 12px 5px 0;color:#555;vertical-align:top;width:38%\"><strong>AEVEX listing<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"padding:5px 0;color:#222\">NYSE: AVEX, IPO April 2026, roughly $312 million raised<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:5px 12px 5px 0;color:#555;vertical-align:top;width:38%\"><strong>Divergent funding<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"padding:5px 0;color:#222\">$290 million Series E in 2026 at a $2.3 billion valuation<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:5px 12px 5px 0;color:#555;vertical-align:top;width:38%\"><strong>Divergent factory<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"padding:5px 0;color:#222\">430,000 sq ft in Long Beach, planned for 64 Monolith One printers<\/td><\/tr><\/table><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The tooling problem<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Building a new military aircraft has always been dominated by one thing that has nothing to do with aerodynamics: tooling. Before you can make the first airframe you have to make the machines that make the airframe \u2014 the dies, jigs and fixtures that hold everything in the right place. That takes years and enormous sums, and once it exists, changing the design becomes expensive enough that people stop wanting to.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>DAPS attacks exactly that. Divergent prints metal structural nodes, uses AI-assisted design to optimise them, and has robots assemble the result. There is no hard tooling to amortise. A design change is a new print file.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img data-opt-id=392220585  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/replicator_drone.jpg\" alt=\"Lockheed Martin Skunk Works Replicator drone built with Divergent additive manufacturing\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Replicator: the 2.7-metre jet-powered drone Lockheed Martin\u2019s Skunk Works built with Divergent\u2019s DAPS process, concept to first article in under a year. Image: Lockheed Martin \/ Divergent Technologies.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">What each side brings<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>AEVEX is not a start-up in the garage sense. It has delivered unmanned aircraft, ISR systems, electronic warfare equipment and unmanned surface vessels to national security customers, employs around 650 people across American manufacturing sites, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in April after years as a Madison Dearborn portfolio company.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;Working with Divergent allows us to evaluate next-generation manufacturing concepts that could improve responsiveness and bring new flexibility to how future unmanned systems are developed and delivered.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Manan Patel<\/strong> &mdash; Chief Technology Officer, AEVEX Corp.<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Divergent brings the printers, and a considerable amount of momentum. It raised $290 million earlier this year at a $2.3 billion valuation, sits on the Air Force\u2019s Eglin Wide Agile Acquisition Contract with its $46 billion ceiling, and is building a factory in Long Beach designed to house 64 metal printers and eventually turn out tens of thousands of missile airframes and warhead casings a year.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;We\u2019re proud to collaborate with AEVEX to deliver mass at the pace of need. Divergent is a force multiplier for our customers\u2019 programs, and we\u2019re excited to integrate DAPS with AEVEX\u2019s field-proven expertise to set a new standard for delivering capability at speed and scale.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Lukas Czinger<\/strong> &mdash; Co-Founder and CEO, Divergent Technologies<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>\u201cMass at the pace of need\u201d is marketing language, but it points at the genuine argument. The two companies say early work will focus on adaptable airframe designs, faster integration and production methods that cut part counts and shorten development timelines.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Replicator precedent<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The reason to take this seriously is that DAPS has already produced an aircraft. In June, Lockheed Martin\u2019s Skunk Works and Divergent revealed Replicator, a jet-powered drone with a 2.7-metre wingspan, additively manufactured and robotically assembled, taken from concept to first physical article in under twelve months. Lockheed had put $25 million into Divergent in 2024 to explore exactly this.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Secretary of War Pete Hegseth saw it during a stop at Divergent\u2019s facility on his \u201cArsenal of Freedom\u201d tour of American defence manufacturers \u2014 a name that deliberately echoes Roosevelt\u2019s Arsenal of Democracy, and tells you what the Pentagon thinks the problem is.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/83Gxpdw6U5Y\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Context on the wider push for cheap, mass-produced munitions and unmanned aircraft.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The unanswered questions are the important ones. Nobody has said what this aircraft is, how big it is, whether anyone has ordered it, or when it might fly. Announcements like this are cheap. Airframes are not.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>But the direction of travel across American defence aviation right now is unmistakable: fewer exquisite things, more cheap ones, produced faster. If printing them works, the companies that own the printers are going to matter a great deal.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>What have AEVEX and Divergent announced?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">AEVEX Corp. and Divergent Technologies said in early September 2026 that they will jointly develop a new autonomous aircraft platform, pairing AEVEX\u2019s unmanned systems experience with Divergent\u2019s 3D-printing-based manufacturing process. Neither company disclosed a contract value, a customer or a prototype timeline.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What is the Divergent Adaptive Production System?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">DAPS is Divergent\u2019s manufacturing platform. It combines AI-assisted structural design, 3D-printed metal components and robotic assembly, so a structure can be produced without cutting hard tooling. Changing the design means changing the print file rather than rebuilding jigs and fixtures.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Who is AEVEX?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">AEVEX Corp. is a Solana Beach, California company that builds unmanned aerial systems and unmanned surface vessels for national security customers, including ISR aircraft and electronic warfare equipment. It employs around 650 people, completed an initial public offering in April 2026 raising roughly $312 million, and trades on the NYSE under the ticker AVEX.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Has Divergent worked with other aerospace companies?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes. Lockheed Martin invested $25 million in Divergent in 2024 and its Skunk Works division used DAPS to build Replicator, a jet-powered drone with a 2.7-metre wingspan, going from concept to first article in under a year. Divergent also holds a place on the U.S. Air Force\u2019s Eglin Wide Agile Acquisition Contract, a multiple-award vehicle with a $46 billion ceiling.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How big is Divergent Technologies?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Divergent is headquartered in Torrance, California and raised $290 million in a Series E round earlier in 2026 at a $2.3 billion valuation, led by Rochefort Asset Management. It is building a 430,000-square-foot factory in Long Beach intended to house 64 of its Monolith One metal printers and eventually produce tens of thousands of missile airframes and warhead casings a year.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why does 3D printing matter for military aircraft?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Because the constraint in a long war is not design, it is production. Additive manufacturing removes the tooling step that dominates cost and lead time for a new airframe, allows part counts to be cut dramatically, and lets a design be revised and rebuilt in weeks rather than years. For expendable or attritable aircraft, that is the whole argument.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What have AEVEX and Divergent announced?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"AEVEX Corp. and Divergent Technologies said in early September 2026 that they will jointly develop a new autonomous aircraft platform, pairing AEVEX\u2019s unmanned systems experience with Divergent\u2019s 3D-printing-based manufacturing process. Neither company disclosed a contract value, a customer or a prototype timeline.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What is the Divergent Adaptive Production System?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"DAPS is Divergent\u2019s manufacturing platform. 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Lockheed Martin invested $25 million in Divergent in 2024 and its Skunk Works division used DAPS to build Replicator, a jet-powered drone with a 2.7-metre wingspan, going from concept to first article in under a year. Divergent also holds a place on the U.S. Air Force\u2019s Eglin Wide Agile Acquisition Contract, a multiple-award vehicle with a $46 billion ceiling.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How big is Divergent Technologies?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Divergent is headquartered in Torrance, California and raised $290 million in a Series E round earlier in 2026 at a $2.3 billion valuation, led by Rochefort Asset Management. It is building a 430,000-square-foot factory in Long Beach intended to house 64 of its Monolith One metal printers and eventually produce tens of thousands of missile airframes and warhead casings a year.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why does 3D printing matter for military aircraft?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Because the constraint in a long war is not design, it is production. Additive manufacturing removes the tooling step that dominates cost and lead time for a new airframe, allows part counts to be cut dramatically, and lets a design be revised and rebuilt in weeks rather than years. For expendable or attritable aircraft, that is the whole argument.\"}}]}<\/script><p><em>Sources: The Defence Blog, AEVEX Corp., Divergent Technologies, Lockheed Martin, Axios.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/anduril-yfq-44a-fury-defence-startups-primes-2026\/\">Anduril and the Fury: The Start-Ups Taking On the Defence Primes<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/navy-cca-rfi-carrier-combat-drone-x-47b-ucav-2026\/\">Navy CCA RFI: The Service Wants Its X-47B Combat Drone Back<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AEVEX and Divergent Technologies are building an autonomous aircraft together using the same 3D-printing process that took Lockheed&#8217;s Replicator drone from concept to first article in under a year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":20023758,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[664,670],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20023787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military-aviation","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>AEVEX and Divergent Will 3D-Print an Autonomous Aircraft | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"AEVEX and Divergent are building an autonomous aircraft with the same 3D-printing process that produced Lockheed\u2019s Replicator drone in under a year.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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