Battery-powered drone shatters world record, uses propulsion system assembled at US Army depot

Cpt. Lee Washburn, AMC military liaison for advanced manufacturing of sUAS, holds a battery-powered small-unmanned aircraft system.US ArmyA battery-powered drone recently shattered a world endurance record. The small unmanned aircraft system flew for more than eight hours in the desert heat. The drone achieved the milestone using critical propulsion components assembled by the Army’s organic industrial base.“AMC is proud to provide materiel solutions to support innovation across the uncrewed systems spectrum,” said Army Capt. Lee Washburn, AMC military liaison for advanced manufacturing of small UAS. “From providing components to soldiers at innovation labs, to providing industry clean supply chain solutions in support of drone dominance, it is our goal to continue to participate in events that demonstrate our capabilities and help refine our components for the warfighter based upon realistic testing.” Record-breaking flight time of eight hours During the Game of Drones 26-2 demonstration at Edwards Air Force Base, California, July 15-17, two brushless direct current motors assembled at Tobyhanna Army Depot, Pennsylvania, successfully powered a Group 1 small UAS to a record-breaking flight time of eight hours, 41 minutes and 43 seconds. The aircraft flew for approximately 300 miles before safely landing, surpassing the previous record by 50 minutes.Rapid, collaborative on-site manufacturing made the achievement possible. The drone was designed in less than 10 minutes using computer prompts via adaptability software. Within 24 hours of takeoff, the aircraft was fabricated inside a mobile containerized production factory using commercial 3D printers, integrated with the Tobyhanna brushless motors and a battery from an industry partner and assembled on-site by a three-person team, according to a press release. Manufacturing capabilities within the Army’s organic industrial base The event, sponsored by the Defense Contract Management Agency blue list team, highlighted a strategic shift toward domestic production. By establishing manufacturing capabilities within the Army’s organic industrial base, the service is working to eliminate foreign dependencies for critical parts.“This is a huge milestone for AMC and Tobyhanna, considering the fact that we just cut the ribbon on the new brushless motor line on June 30,” said Jon Strzelec, the AMC advanced manufacturing lead for small UAS.AMC recently began transforming the organic industrial base to produce and assemble various critical small UAS components, including frames at Rock Island Arsenal-Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center, Illinois, and batteries at Red River Army Depot, Texas. A key focus of this initiative is developing organic industrial base capabilities to help government, industry and academic partners secure Defense Contract Management Agency approval for systems and components to be included on the blue list, as per the release. “Game of Drones was proof that industry and the government can work together in creative ways to produce exceptional results,” Strzelec said. “The event showcases exactly what the Army set out to do — provide opportunities for industry to partner with the Army and let the Army leverage the innovation and technical depth of industry.”Get the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Prabhat, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, is a tech and defense journalist. While he enjoys writing on modern weapons and emerging tech, he has also reported on global politics and business. He has been previously associated with well-known media houses, including the International Business Times (Singapore Edition) and ANI.