Apr 9, 2025 - Technology

Exclusive: RapidFlight wants to crack "mass customization" for militaries

RapidFlight isn't a drone company, according to chief executive Esina Alic. It just so happens it can print an airframe in a day.

The big picture: At a time of defense manufacturing frailty, the Virginia upstart is billing itself as a merchant of industriousness.

Through a combination of air-liftable containers and 3D printers known as Mobile Production Systems; common avionics and aircraft kits; and design libraries that encourage tinkering, it hopes to build out weapons capacity where it didn't exist prior.
"Some industries do this really well, like automotive, like Ikea," Alic told Axios during a tour of the Manassas headquarters. "Our allies and our U.S. customers can get it immediately, at mass, cheaply and quickly, deployed anywhere in the world."

The intrigue: Tracker Capital, founded by Stephen Feinberg, was an early investor in RapidFlight.

He played an active role at the company until being confirmed as deputy defense secretary.

Zoom in: RapidFlight has stuck to Group 2 and 3 drones and is now wading into interceptors.

It has prototyped about two dozen unmanned aerial vehicles. The SPX, M2 and E2 have proven most popular, according to Alic.
Customers exist stateside as well as in the Asia-Pacific (Taiwan and South Korea) and Europe (Ukraine). It went from design to demo in the Middle East in six months.

Fun fact: The company produced a Shahed clone in two weeks.

Yes, but: RapidFlight isn't the only player in the 3D printing game. It's not even the only player in the 3D-printed drone game.

The bottom line: The defense industrial base has yet to crack "mass customization," according to Alic.

"Do you want a VTOL? Do you want a fixed-wing? Do you want rocket-launched? Do you want air-launched? They're just different symmetries, but they're the same," she said.
"Using these different Lego modules, you can build different outcomes."

Go deeper: Simple drones, complex problems