Scenes of destruction in Iran after US-Israeli strikes

America's arsenal of tomorrow: Divergent 3D-prints cruise missiles

<p>TORRANCE, Calif. —<strong> </strong>A cruise-missile airframe is being 3D-printed before my eyes. The <a href="https://www.axios.com/technology/automation-and-ai" target="_blank">AI-driven</a> system, the size of a shipping container, hums as it stacks layer on layer of aluminum and proprietary advanced metals.</p><p><strong>Why it matters: </strong>This white-floored factory at <a href="https://www.divergent3d.com/company/history" target="_blank">Divergent Technologies</a>, just outside L.A., is a window into the American arsenal of the future.</p><p><strong>Each of Divergent's printers,</strong> engineered and manufactured in the U.S., can produce hundreds of these missile airframes each year. They're part of a new generation of "low-cost" missiles that are roughly one-tenth the cost of a legacy system.</p><ul><li>The finished missiles, including parts from other contractors, run $200,000 to $500,000. Legacy standard missiles range from $2 million to $6 million each.</li></ul><...