Northrop unveils Valen – 3D printed AESA radar arrays

 Northrop Grumman’s Valen AESA radar technology could accelerate radar production and development through 3D printing. From jet engines to vehicle parts and drones, 3D printing is increasingly an option for complex defence problems.

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on February 18, 2026.

Northrop Grumman has unveiled details of Valen, a new form of Active Electronically Scanned Array that is 3D printed. The “wideband array is lighter, smaller and more affordable, combining radar, electronic warfare and communications into one elegant design,” the February 16 press release states.

The element that stands out the most from the release is that Valen is 3D printed. The company adds that it is digitally designed, which is essentially mandated by the US DoD. However, digital design does presumably allow the model to be revised and updated with ease in support of 3D printing. Other US radars like the AN/SPY-6 family from Raytheon are also reliant on digital design or engineering.

The development has been internally funded by Northrop Grumman, which is again in line with recent demands from the DoD. Lockheed Martin’s Vectis, for example, is both internally funded and reliant on digital engineering. The Liberty class autonomous vessel from Blue Water Autonomy is following a similar path.

• Vectis: Lockheed Martin launches internally funded CCA – Calibre Defence 
• Damen and Blue Water Autonomy licence Liberty Class autonomous vessel 
• AN/SPY-6(V)4 completes first live test – Calibre Defence

Valen specifically is also enabled by Northrop’s enterprise-wide experience. It has an open architecture and can unite capabilities from across the company whilst enabling rapid updates, the press release states.

Calibre comment: How is 3D used for radars?

The Northrop press release is light on details here. But other industry media outlets like https://3dprintingindustry.com/ have covered technology that appears to be adjacent. The company has partnered with SWISSto12, which designed and printed radio frequency feed chains for the GEOStar-3 satellites. These components were 3D printed with the radio frequency parts built into them, enabling a reduction in size and weight. Northrop may also be 3D printing the “front end of the AESA, which consists of hundreds or thousands of tiny antenna elements. Manufacturing the waveguides (the “plumbing” that directs the radio waves) usually requires complex machining of blocks of aluminum. 

Whenever machining is involved, the process can be slow and expensive. It is still essential for high stress applications, but 3D printing is increasingly able to produce solutions for lower stress applications. Northrop appears to be exploring multiple avenues for 3D printed parts from space to the land domain. Its extensive internal funding will likely enable further developments in this field. 

The lead image shows a Valen AESA panel. Credit: Northrop Grumman.