More than a decade ago, Northrop Grumman adopted production technology from the auto industry and unveiled an automated assembly line to mass-produce fuselages for the F-35 jet fighter.
REDONDO BEACH, CA—Northrop Grumman Corp. has been awarded a contract by the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency to design an autonomous vertical takeoff and landing uncrewed aircraft system capable of operating from a moving U.S. Navy ship at sea.
STRATFORD, CT—The U.S. Navy has approved full-rate production of the Sikorsky CH-53K helicopter, a decision that is expected to increase production to more than 20 helicopters annually in the coming years. Sikorsky is procuring long-lead items and critical materials to support building full rate production CH-53K helicopters in its digital factory.
CINCINNATI—The United States Air Force and GE have begun the third phase of their ‘Pacer Edge’ pathfinder research at GE Additive‘s
facility here, which is focused on 3D printing four parts that are currently obsolete.
LUFKIN, TX—Lockheed Martin’s electronics assembly plant here has adopted the IPC-CFX standard for its surface-mount production lines, enabling the defense contractor to turn the facility into a smart factory.
WESTMINSTER, CO—Ball Aerospace will soon complete work on an expansion to its Aerospace Manufacturing Center here, adding around 122,000 square feet to increase the building size to more than 490,000 square feet.
WASHINGTON—The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is launching the Novel Orbital and Moon Manufacturing, Materials and Mass-efficient Design program, or NOM4D—a program that could enable manufacturing in space and on the moon’s surface.
MADISON, AL—Aerobotix Inc. has developed a robotic assembly line that scans, sands, paints and measures complex missile components, thereby achieving critical tolerances required for hypersonic flight.
ROCK HILL, SC—3D Systems is involved in two projects for the Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Army Research Laboratory. The first is the creation of the world’s largest powder-metal 3D printer. The other focuses on topical optimization of additive manufacturing to improve the Army's 3D-printed products.
