The Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the Boeing Company have successfully fabricated a two-ton, 3D-printed metal mold designed to accelerate the production of thermoplastic composite aircraft structures. Announced on September 21, 2026, the Stamp Form Die (SFD) will support an initiative by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to dramatically increase commercial aircraft manufacturing rates.

According to a press release from ORNL, the massive mold was developed using wire-arc additive Manufacturing (WAAM) in collaboration with Baker Industries, a subsidiary of Lincoln Electric. The project demonstrates that large, complex tooling can be 3D printed significantly faster than traditional machining, casting, or forging methods. This advancement addresses a critical bottleneck in aerospace manufacturing by reducing the lead time required to produce essential factory equipment.

Advancing high-rate composite manufacturing

The SFD will be utilized by Boeing as part of the NASA Hi-Rate Composite Aircraft Manufacturing (HiCAM) project. The HiCAM program aims to achieve production rates of up to 80 aircraft per month for composite airframes without incurring a weight penalty compared to 2020 technologies.

“NASA and its industry partners are working to increase the production rate of composite aircraft to meet the growing demand for air travel and to reduce aircraft weight, which improves fuel efficiency, lowering costs for aircraft operators,” said Richard Young, Project Manager for NASA HiCAM.

Young added that the effort is essential to maintaining the competitive advantage of the United States in the Commercial-Aircraft industry. Michael Matlack, a Technical Fellow at Boeing, echoed this sentiment, stating that American companies must continue to push technical boundaries to retain a global competitive edge.

Wire-arc additive manufacturing process

The 3D-printed SFD measures 6 feet in height and 4 feet in width, weighing nearly 2 tons. Utilizing the Arc-1 WAAM system at ORNL, the team completed the build in 8 weeks. To compensate for warping during the printing process, engineers ran 32 computer simulation iterations to refine the design before fabrication.

William Carter, a robotics engineer at ORNL, noted that Boeing specifically wanted to evaluate the feasibility of WAAM for this application and worked closely with the laboratory to evaluate the challenges of making the mold. Andrzej Nycz, a senior robotics engineer at ORNL, stated that multi-material WAAM enables new designs that combine fine-tuned mechanical performance with time and cost savings.

The successful fabrication of the SFD also has implications beyond aerospace. Ahmed Arabi Hassen, Group Leader for Composites Innovation at ORNL, indicated that the technology could eventually be used to manufacture large thermoplastic structures for the energy and automotive sectors.

AirPro News analysis

We note that tooling lead times are a persistent constraint in aerospace manufacturing, particularly for large composite structures. Traditional metalworking for dies of this scale can take many months and require extensive material removal. By validating WAAM for a two-ton SFD, Boeing and ORNL are proving that additive manufacturing can shift from prototyping to critical production infrastructure. If the NASA HiCAM project successfully demonstrates full-scale composite fuselage and wing box manufacturing in 2028 and 2029 as planned, rapid tooling methods like this 3D-printed mold will be essential to meeting the ambitious 80-aircraft-per-month target.

Sources: Oak Ridge National Laboratory

The Fuerza Aérea Mexicana (FAM) has doubled its modern tactical airlift capacity with the acquisitions of a second Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Super Hercules, announced on September 23, 2026. The purchase expands Mexico’s rapid humanitarian response capabilities across Latin America following the recent deployment of its first C-130J-30 to earthquake-stricken Venezuela.

In a press release issued by Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer confirmed the acquisition, which solidifies Mexico’s position as the first and currently only Latin American nation to operate the C-130J Super Hercules platform. The FAM has operated legacy Hercules aircraft for five decades, and this latest procurement continues the modernization of its transport fleet.

Expanding humanitarian and tactical reach

The FAM utilized its initial C-130J-30, acquired on January 21, 2026, to deliver emergency supplies, medical aid, and personnel to Venezuela following recent twin earthquakes. The addition of a second airframe directly supports these regional relief missions and provides operational redundancy for the Mexican Air Force.

The C-130J-30 is the stretch variant of the aircraft, providing an additional 15 feet of cargo space compared to legacy models. This extra capacity allows for greater payload flexibility during critical airlift operations, enabling the FAM to transport more supplies per flight into austere or damaged runway environments.

Regional leadership in airlift modernization

Lockheed Martin highlighted the operational continuity the new aircraft provides to the Mexican Air Force. Trish Pagan, Vice President of Air Mobility & Maritime Missions at Lockheed Martin, stated that the C-130J serves as the backbone of global airlift.

“Mexico’s continued investment underscores confidence in a platform that delivers decades of operational readiness, unmatched versatility and seamless interoperability with U.S. and allied forces,” Pagan said.

The global C-130J fleet exceeds 560 aircraft operating across 24 other nations. Mexico’s integration into this operator base enhances its interoperability with allied forces during joint operations and international disaster response efforts.

AirPro News analysis

We view Mexico’s rapid follow-on order for a second C-130J-30 as a clear indicator of the platform’s immediate utility in the region. The timeline between the January 2026 initial acquisition and the September 2026 second order is notably compressed for military procurement. The successful deployment to Venezuela likely served as a real-world proof of concept for the FAM, demonstrating the value of the stretch variant’s extra 15 feet of cargo space. As the sole Latin American operator of the C-130J, Mexico is positioning itself as a primary logistical hub for regional disaster relief, potentially setting a precedent for neighboring air forces evaluating their own aging legacy transport fleets.

Sources: Lockheed Martin

ST Engineering’s Commercial Aerospace business and Collins Aerospace, an RTX business, have signed three multi-year agreements to expand component repair capabilities and original equipment manufacturer parts procurement for major Boeing and Airbus aircraft platforms.

Announced in a press release on September 23, 2026, the collaboration is designed to deliver faster turnaround times for component repairs amid ongoing global supply chain constraints. The agreements integrate Collins Aerospace’s original equipment manufacturing (OEM) data and parts with ST Engineering’s global maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) network.

Expanding component support and repair capabilities

The three agreements broaden ST Engineering’s authorized repair capabilities for the Boeing 787 and extend lifecycle repair support for the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 aircraft families. The deal also expands ST Engineering’s procurement of OEM spare parts for narrowbody aircraft, specifically targeting components for the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320neo.

Supported components under the new agreements include Line Replaceable Units (LRUs), Collins fan assembly electronics boards, and Power & Controls spare parts.

Poon Kok Wah, Senior Vice President and Head of Component Services at ST Engineering, stated in the press release that the expanded scope deepens the collaboration between the two companies and enhances the value of ST Engineering’s Maintenance-By-the-Hour program.

“Our longstanding relationship with Collins Aerospace brings together its OEM expertise and ST Engineering’s lifecycle MRO and comprehensive asset management strengths to better support airline operators worldwide,” Poon said.

He noted that the agreements will directly bolster in-house component MRO capabilities for the 787, 737 MAX, and A320neo platforms, alongside improvements in distribution and material services.

Strategic growth and infrastructure investment

The component support agreements follow parallel infrastructure investments by both companies to capture growing aftermarket demand. On September 9, 2026, ST Engineering announced an expansion of its nacelle MRO capacity at its Stockholm facility. The project will add approximately 5,000 square meters of capacity by early 2027 to accommodate increasing demand for widebody nacelle maintenance.

According to reporting by Aviation Week, modern composite nacelles increasingly require access to proprietary repair procedures and OEM engineering data. This technical requirement makes licensing agreements with manufacturers like Collins Aerospace strategically vital for independent MRO providers.

Collins Aerospace is concurrently expanding its manufacturing and support footprint in Singapore. In August 2024, the company announced a $250 million investment to relocate its Singapore manufacturing plant to a new facility in the Seletar Aerospace Park. Construction on the new site is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2025 and conclude by 2027, according to the Association of Aerospace Industries Singapore.

AirPro News analysis

We view the deepening integration between Tier 1 OEMs and independent MRO providers as a necessary response to persistent supply chain bottlenecks. As new-generation aircraft like the 737 MAX and A320neo mature, the volume of components requiring specialized repair procedures is increasing. By securing direct access to Collins Aerospace OEM parts and technical data, ST Engineering can bypass secondary market shortages and offer operators more predictable dispatch reliability. For Collins Aerospace, leveraging ST Engineering’s established global MRO infrastructure allows the manufacturer to scale its aftermarket support without bearing the full capital expenditure of building new, wholly owned repair stations.

Sources: ST Engineering