The Economist: Ukrainians print bombs on 3D printers

Ukraine and neighboring countries are actively developing the artisanal production of ammunition and delivery vehicles, such as drones and bombs for them. In particular, Ukrainians are actively using 3D printers to make bomb casings.

Source. This is reported by The Economist, which has gotten acquainted with the work of several workshops..

The number of bombs produced is already in the tens of thousands, with some workshops producing up to 1,000 bombs per week on 3D printers, the publication writes.

For example, a group of craftsmen in Kyiv produces this many. Three months ago, its leader, Lesha, told the publication that he and his colleagues developed an 800-gram bomb called the Zaychik. The plastic body is made on a 3D printer and sent to the army, where it is filled with C4 explosives and steel shrapnel. The officer with whom the group of craftsmen talks asks to increase production to 1,500 units per week.

Another group of amateur craftsmen has produced over 30,000 similar bombs in the past four months. Even more are coming from abroad, writes The Economist.

According to Jānis Ozols, founder of the Latvian branch of the international volunteer group Wild Bees, at least 65,000 bomb casings have been sent to Ukraine from Europe since November 2022.

One of the advantages of such ammunition is its cheapness. Emanuel Zmudzinski, a volunteer with Wild Bees in the Polish city of Lodz, makes a casing for a 27-centimeter bomb called the Big Egg for less than 3.5 euros on a 3D printer that costs about $1,200.

Manufacturers can adapt to the needs of drone operators by simply changing the settings on the printer, the publication notes.

Background. As a reminder, Mind wrote that UAH 775 million will be spent on drones through Prozorro, and investigated which regions are leaders and outsiders in terms of procurement volume.