Printed Choppers

The DoD is starting to adopt 3-D printing as an alternative to long supply delays for rare items:

The 3-D printing revolution is completely upending the global manufacturing base. Its potential impact on defense and national security is just as revolutionary but could be marginalized if the Defense Department fails to adopt a comprehensive vision and strategy.

There's some obligatory babbling about medical uses, but here's the important bit:

One of the best uses for AM has been in those instances where production lines have closed down but the equipment is still in use. The Marine Corp’s CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter remains in service even though the last one rolled off the assembly lines in 1971. Similarly, the AV-8B Harrier jump jet ceased production in 2003 and its lifespan was just extended from 2017 to 2030. Instead of going through the process of standing up new production lines for these legacy aircraft, AM has been used to recreate parts no longer in the supply chain or with long lead times.

I've flown in Sea Knights more times than I care to remember; I can't imagine that printed parts are going to make them any safer. If you want to know why the Osprey is needed so desperately, look no further than the CH-46 Death Knight.