Analysis / AD2S Partnership – [FR – Lire en français] – This article is published as part of the editorial partnership between Opérationnels SLDS and AD2S, the Bordeaux-based European exhibition dedicated to military aeronautic MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul), and expands upon the shorter version previously published on the AD2S website.

Ahead of the next edition of AD2S, scheduled to take place from 22 to 24 September 2026, Opérationnels SLDS takes a closer look, within the framework of this editorial partnership, at an issue that is becoming increasingly central to military aerospace sustainment: sovereignty over spare parts made from strategic materials, a challenge to which additive manufacturing and circular supply models could provide at least a partial response.

This three-part series starts from a concrete case study – the flight in the United Kingdom of a helicopter fitted with a 3D-printed hinge manufactured from recycled titanium – to examine how the recycling of aerospace materials, the growing adoption of additive manufacturing and the increasing pressure on strategic raw materials could together contribute to reshaping fleet sustainment, from material selection through to aircraft end-of-life management.

The series offers an industrial, operational and geopolitical perspective on this transformation through three key questions:

  • How can the aerospace sector move from scrapped aircraft to a structured aerospace urban mining model—that is, the systematic recovery of valuable materials from dismantled fleets?
  • How can powders derived from certified waste streams be integrated into routine aerospace MRO activities?
  • How can strategic autonomy and environmental transition be reconciled in a context marked by the global concentration of critical metals?

The first article introduces the British case study and the rationale behind a circular aerospace materials ecosystem. The second examines the mineral “hidden side” of additive manufacturing and the vulnerability of supply chains supporting attritable drones—that is, systems whose relatively low unit cost makes large-scale battlefield losses operationally acceptable. The third explores the implications for aerospace sustainment strategies, from aircraft dismantling and material recovery to the integration of 3D-printing capabilities into support contracts and high-intensity force regeneration plans.

The three articles in this series can be accessed through the mini table of contents below by clicking on the titles.

  1. From Aircraft Dismantling to 3D Printing: The First Building Blocks of Circular Supply Chains
  2. 3D Printing and Strategic Materials: A Growing Dependence in an Increasingly Constrained Market
  3. Towards Circular Aerospace Sustainment: From Static Stockpiles to Reinventing Aircraft End-of-Life Management

 

Additive manufacturing with recycled metals is rapidly moving from laboratory curiosity to operational reality, offering aviation and defense a way to cut emissions while easing pressure on fragile critical‑mineral supply chains. The recent flight in the United Kingdom of a helicopter with a 3D‑printed hinge made from scrap titanium is more than a technical first; it is a preview of how combat MRO and spares could be rewired around circular metal loops and local additive manufacturing (AM)[1].

 

From scrap airframes to flight‑critical parts: building a circular metal ecosystem

Scrapping Aircraft To Become Self-Sufficient in Aerospace-Grade Titanium: The UK Test Case

In early 2026, British defense company QinetiQ flew an A109S helicopter fitted with a 3D‑printed titanium hinge forming part of an air data boom, a structurally significant component used in flight‑test instrumentation. Designed by QinetiQ and fabricated by Additive Manufacturing Solutions (AMS) from titanium recovered from a decommissioned aircraft, the hinge demonstrated that flight‑critical hardware can be salvaged from scrap and safely returned to the sky through powder‑bed processes. QinetiQ reports that AMS’s proprietary atomisation process achieves around 97% material efficiency and reduces CO₂-equivalent emissions by roughly 93.5% compared to conventional titanium supply chains, while still meeting aerospace-grade quality requirements[2].

Because titanium is energy‑intensive to produce and highly reactive at elevated temperatures, conventional production is complex and expensive, which makes the ability to recycle certified scrap particularly attractive. Titanium is also in high demand worldwide beyond aerospace, for instance in infrastructure and urbanisation projects, while much of the world’s aerospace‑grade supply comes from a small number of countries.

According to Project Blue data, “in 2024 Russia and China accounted for 11% and 63% of the world sponge capacity, respectively, a combined 74% of the world sponge production. Likewise, China has 44% and Russia 20% of the worlds titanium melt production making up 64% of the worlds production. And when it comes to titanium mill products, China has 66% and Russia 10% of the world’s total production.”[3]

However, the company AMS estimates that if all the titanium embedded in UK scrap aircraft were recovered and recycled, the UK could in principle become self‑sufficient in aerospace‑grade titanium. QinetiQ’s Simon Galt argues that their testing and engineering expertise is “helping to prove the technology which will reduce the UK’s dependency on other nations for aerospace grade titanium,” while AMS CEO Rob Higham presents the hinge as a milestone in building “a more resilient and sustainable future.”[4]

The QinetiQ‑AMS collaboration thus fits into a wider movement to treat retired aircraft and certified scrap as high‑value resources rather than waste. Analyses of aircraft recycling and additive manufacturing highlight how metals such as aluminium and titanium recovered from retired jets can be re‑melted, atomised and reused as feedstock for new printed parts, closing the materials loop at higher value than simple down‑cycling.

Titanium’s appeal in defense is well‑rehearsed: it is strong, light and highly corrosion‑resistant, which is why it underpins airframes, landing gear and many hot‑section components. Yet its production is energy‑intensive and technically demanding because molten titanium readily reacts with oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen, making conventional routes both complicated and costly. This is one reason recycling titanium is so attractive; the metal itself is not geologically scarce, but aerospace‑grade supply is constrained by processing, qualification and geopolitics[5].

Demand is rising sharply. Project Blue and other analyses estimate that civil aircraft programmes alone will require more than 1.6 million tonnes of titanium by 2044 to deliver roughly 46,000 new commercial planes, with commercial aviation accounting for nearly 90 percent of annual titanium demand by the late 2040s. “Over the last 10 years, China has invested in titanium capacity,” notes analyst Nils Backeberg; “if talking about titanium sponge, in 2018 China was less than 40% of global production and by 2024 we’re talking closer to 70 to 80%.” Broader assessments find that China now controls around a third of primary titanium minerals and roughly two‑thirds of global titanium sponge production, with domestic sponge capacity around 320,000 tonnes per year and rising[6].

However, there is a critical caveat: most Chinese titanium sponge and mill products are not qualified for Western aerospace and defence applications, reflecting deliberate quality standards, ITAR restrictions and demanding customer specifications at primes such as Airbus, Boeing, BAE and Lockheed Martin. In aerospace and defence, only high‑quality sponge from qualified sources can be used; impurity levels and consistency are critical, and many Chinese products are either unavailable for export or do not meet these specifications.

The result is a paradox: a producer that dominates global volume but still leaves Western airframers exposed to narrow, geopolitically sensitive channels of aerospace‑grade material.

In that context, turning certified scrap into new powders is not just a clever sustainability play; it is one of the few levers user states have to reduce exposure to single‑point‑of‑failure producers while demand for these critical minerals keeps rising.

 

Closing The AM  Materials Loop With Certified Scrap: Towards a Wider Movement?

Closing the materials loop using certified scrap feed is indeed beginning to move from niche practice towards a wider industrial trend. Companies such as Continuum Powders take aerospace‑grade scrap alloys, including nickel and titanium materials, and convert them into tightly specified powders using proprietary melt‑to‑powder processes.

Independent product carbon footprint and life‑cycle analyses indicate that this approach can reduce the greenhouse‑gas emissions associated with producing certain recycled nickel alloy powders by up to around 99.7% compared to conventional powder manufacturing routes.

In parallel, technical and industry reports on additive manufacturing for aerospace note that nickel‑based superalloys such as Inconel 718 – widely used in turbine engines for their high‑temperature strength – can be reused in laser powder bed fusion, provided that powder reuse is tightly controlled and monitored to maintain composition and mechanical performance, which is a prerequisite for aerospace qualification[7].

Fatigue and creep tests in some experiments indicate that blends of virgin and recycled powder can match or even slightly exceed the behaviour of fully virgin feedstock in turbine‑relevant geometries. Together, these developments point toward an integrated ecosystem in which certified scrap feeds high‑integrity powder production, which in turn powers more efficient and flexible additive manufacturing across airframes and engines.

 

Notes

[1] https://www.qinetiq.com/en/news/uk-pioneers-3d-printing-of-aircraft-parts-using-recycled-titanium ; https://nextgendefense.com/uk-scrap-titanium-aircraft/

[2] https://www.tctmagazine.com/3d-printed-helicopter-bracket-made-from-recycled-titanium-takes-flight/ ; https://recyclinginternational.com/business/innovation/qinetiq-pioneers-3-d-printed-helicopter-from-recycled-titanium/63386/

[3] https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/global-titanium-market-at-risk-of-tightening-as-china-russia-grip-persists ; https://euromines.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Euromines-Magnesia-Industry-Study.pdf

[4] https://www.unmannedsystemstechnology.com/2026/02/maiden-flight-for-3d-printed-recycled-titanium-aircraft-component/

[5] https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/global-titanium-market-at-risk-of-tightening-as-china-russia-grip-persists

[6] https://www.mining.com/us-must-ramp-up-titanium-capacity-to-avoid-squeeze-project-blue-founder-says/

[7] https://www.sfa-oxford.com/knowledge-and-insights/critical-minerals-in-low-carbon-and-future-technologies/critical-minerals-in-additive-manufacturing-and-3d-printing/ ; https://www.imts.com/read/article-details/Why-Metals-and-their-Sources-Matter-for-Additive-Manufacturing-in-Aerospace/2250/type/Read/1/tab/all-articles?page=1 ; https://www.continuumpowders.com/new-pcf-study-confirms-continuum-powders-recycling-technology-cuts-carbon-footprint-by-99-7/ ; https://www.continuumpowders.com/a-fresh-look-at-titanium-and-nickel-recycling/ ; https://rawmaterials.net/critical-minerals-in-the-defense-industry-insights-from-project-blue-ahead-of-the-critical-materials-forum-berlin/

 

Photo © asharkyu, Shutterstock