By integrating high-speed additive manufacturing into the heart of cruise missile production, a new industrial powerhouse in Long Beach is set to shatter the supply chain bottlenecks paralyzing modern defense.
A seismic shift is underway in the American defense industrial base as 3D printing transitions from prototyping to mass production for the nation’s most critical weapon systems. Starting next year, a key section of the Tomahawk cruise missile will be manufactured using advanced additive technology, signaling a departure from traditional assembly lines toward a software-driven, digital battlefield supply chain.
Breaking the Bottleneck: A Massive Leap in Production Capacity
The newly established „Factory 2,” a sprawling 430,000-square-foot facility, is designed to be the Pentagon’s answer to munitions shortages. Once fully operational, the site will be capable of delivering upwards of 30,000 missile airframes or 60,000 warhead casings annually. This represents an eightfold increase in production capacity, providing a much-needed secondary source for the Tomahawk’s midbody structure at a time when the military is desperate for volume and speed.
Prototypes have already cleared the initial testing phases, with full-scale production slated to begin in the first half of next year. This ramp-up ensures that the U.S. military has a diversified and steady supply chain, shielding critical programs from the delays that have plagued traditional defense primes in recent years.
Monolith One: The Laser-Powered Heart of Defense
At the core of this production miracle lies the „Monolith One” series of 3D printers. The Long Beach hub will house 64 of these proprietary machines, which boast the highest laser power and the most advanced gas-flow systems currently available on the market. These machines don’t just print parts; they double the throughput of conventional 3D printers while significantly lowering the cost per unit.
While the facility is versatile enough to print automotive parts, roughly 80 percent of its current growth is anchored by high-priority defense contracts. This dual-use capability allows the factory to act as a resilient industrial node, capable of pivoting between commercial and military needs as national security priorities evolve.
Forging the Future: Mass-Scale Affordable Munitions
The Tomahawk project is just the tip of the spear. The same digital architecture is being applied to the „Family of Affordable Mass Missiles” and low-cost containerized munitions programs. By leveraging robotics, software, and 3D printing, the industry is now able to produce complex structures without the need for traditional tooling or long lead times.
This is the dawn of „reindustrialization”—a move away from fragile, specialized lines toward a flexible, high-capacity digital forge that can turn raw data into precision airframes at a moments notice. In the race to maintain a technological edge, the ability to „print” an arsenal may soon be as important as the ability to design one.
