Art Wager/Getty Images During its voyage toward the 2026 iteration of the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, the USS Essex deployed with a containerized microfactory operated by Firestorm Labs. Using the company's xCell system, effectively a containerized 3D production line, personnel were able to produce more than 1,000 individual parts and assemble 12 Squall first-person-view drones while the ship was underway. They also printed test components and repair parts for the ship itself, even while the ship battled through Sea State 5 conditions. The technical significance of this is undeniable. The Essex did not deploy with a conventional inventory…