Firestorm Labs manufactured 12 of its 3D-printable first-person-view Squall drones and more than 1,000 parts aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex while the vessel transited to RIMPAC 2026 in Hawaii, according to a company release. The work used the company’s containerized xCell microfactory without shore resupply.
The effort put a factory-in-a-box aboard a Navy ship to produce unmanned aerial systems, spare parts and repair items during operations at sea. Firestorm designed xCell for deployment on U.S. Navy vessels supporting expeditionary warfare.
Production and testing at sea
Service members assembled the drones aboard Essex as waves as high as 12 feet struck the ship. The aircraft were later flown as adversary drones during a counter-drone exercise at RIMPAC 2026. Personnel also printed mechanical test components to assess the 3D printer used for drone production, as well as military repair parts needed by the ship’s crew.
Every part xCell printed on deck is one that doesn’t need to be flown or shipped across contested waters — cutting the fuel, aircraft hours, and personnel it takes to keep a ship operational. Repairs that once meant days or weeks waiting on a resupply run can now happen in hours, on station.
Firestorm Labs social media release
Containerized capabilities
The demonstration comes as the Defense Department, and the Navy in particular, pursue modular payload capabilities intended to deliver mission-ready assets. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle announced a “containerized capability campaign plan” in March at the McAleese Defense Programs conference, outlining a vision for transportable containers holding capabilities including drones and weapons that could be deployed to regions around the world.
In May, the Pentagon announced framework agreements with Anduril, CoAspire, Leidos and Zone 5 to acquire more than 10,000 containerized missiles over three years beginning in 2027. The announcement marked the launch of the Low-Cost Containerized Munitions program.
