To fight against the brutality of the military dictatorship, an engineer uses 3D printing to manufacture weapons for pro-democracy fighters from an isolated cave in eastern Myanmar.
The February 2021 military coup in Myanmar transformed the Southeast Asian country, previously known as “Burma,” into a battleground between pro-democracy forces and the military junta in power. More than 250 rebel groups are fighting for freedom, in a state that has become a veritable no-man’s land.
Among them, we find a young network engineer, who joined the revolution after witnessing the brutal repression of peaceful demonstrations. It uses 3D printing to manufacture drones and munitions. Inspired by a Ukrainian model, the aircraft represent new hope for the rebels, who face a cruel lack of weapons.
3D printing, a weapon exploited in the revolution in Myanmar
If you don’t mind, let’s recall the context a little. Since the end of World War II, Myanmar has been plagued by civil strife, with rebel groups seeking autonomy. But the situation obviously intensified after the 2021 coup, with thousands of civilians killed by the army. All this led to the formation of numerous rebel groups.
So, the young engineer nicknamed “3D” joined the resistance, as described Wired, by enlisting in the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF), an armed insurgent group made up of civilian volunteers. And imagine that 3D printers have become essential to their activities. They allow the manufacture of weapons, drones, stabilizers for mortars and other munitions for fighters.
The ease of manufacturing deadly weapons with 3D printers also presents challenges, particularly regarding the need for certain metallurgical skills. The first weapons manufactured in 3D as part of this conflict were the FGC-9, semi-automatic rifles since joined by reusable drones, which strengthen the resistance capacity of pro-democracy fighters.
The role of drones in the fight against the junta
Drones manufactured using 3D printing, such as the Liberator-MK1, offer the rebels a great opportunity to retaliate against a junta initially better armed than them. Beyond the technical challenges, the aircraft represent hope for these fighters, who suffer from sometimes devastating air attacks from the local army.
Rebel groups, composed mainly of young people yearning for freedom, use technological innovation to overcome these obstacles. Skilled, they learn online tactics and modify designs which then better meet their needs.
Drone tests are carried out in secret, and pro-democrats generally manage to avoid spies and reconnaissance planes from the enemy junta. Drones have also made it possible to achieve some successes, having reached military targets on several occasions. As a symbol of the resilience and determination of the people of Myanmar to fight for democracy.
Source : Wired
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