Navy

The future of America's aircraft carriers? Floating drone factories.

Earlier this month, the British Royal Navy ship HMS Protectormade history. An ice patrol ship, Protector sailed the frigid waters off Antarctica. But instead of using a helicopter to scout an ice-free route, the Protector had an unlikely helper — a drone.

And not just any drone: a 3D printed drone that was manufactured onboard the ship itself. The tiny remote controlled airplane, steered by a laptop and buzzing along at speeds of up to 60 miles an hour, could be an unlikely savior of the largest warships ever to sail: aircraft carriers.

A symbol of American military primacy since the end of World War II, there are currently 10 aircraft carriers serving with the U.S. Navy. Each carries approximately 70 aircraft capable of bringing more firepower than the armed forces of entire countries. They are, in fact, a capability no other country can currently equal.