Army Targets Drone Output Bottlenecks With Wire Harness Automation
Specifically, the mentioned kind of factory automation will be applied in the pipeline of unmanned systems of the U.S. Army. There will be wire harness production cells, which will help to increase efficiency of drones manufacturing and electronics sustainment. Under the contract, sponsored by the American partner and main contractor, Molrix, Q5D Technology will install three wire harness automation cells: one will be installed in August 2026 for SkyFoundry drone manufacturing program of the Army and the other two will be installed in September 2026 for Tobyhanna Army Depot in Pennsylvania.
Importantly, wire harness production is one of the key but often neglected stages of production process and it can become the limiting factor in total output. When producing small unmanned aircraft and other electronic systems, it is required to route, install and integrate wires into the three-dimensional structure. The firm states that with the mentioned technology they will be able to automate the manufacture and installation of complex wire harnesses into 3D structure that according to the firm is the slowest and the most labor-intensive stage of drone production.
Speaking about SkyFoundry, manufacturing becomes the key point of the contract. The Army program seeks to accelerate the production of small unmanned aerial systems with the goal of 10,000 drones per month in 2026 and up to one million units per year in the future. At the mentioned volume, any manual bottleneck would become the system limiting factor. Airframe, propulsion unit, battery, radio and payload all of that may be available but the lack of speed in wiring integration will limit the final assembly output.
Thus, harness automation becomes key for unmanned systems manufacturing. Wire harnesses are not simple cables; they are the key component of the aircraft electrical architecture as they are used to connect power distribution, flight controls, sensors, communication system and onboard electronics. In the case of compact drones, the packing space is limited, routing is complex and, thus, should be as consistent as possible. In this regard, any way to decrease manual wiring and increase consistency of installation would become a key innovation.
The second and third wire harness automation cells for Tobyhanna are illustrative in this respect. Specifically, the depot will be using them to perform manufacturing and repair of complex wire harnesses for electronic systems. Q5D claims that the technology will help to improve the turn-around times for upgrade, overhaul and depot-level maintenance. In practical terms, it transforms the technology from merely manufacturing tool into MRO tool, which is vital for military electronics due to multiple refresh and repair cycles.
It is a logical step for Tobyhanna as the facility specializes in communications and electronics overhaul and repair. Thus, adding the harness production capability, the Army plans to move from mere assembling of drones to creation of sustainable support system for them and their electronic subsystems. Harness replacement or rebuild capability allows to reduce the time the equipment spends on labor-intensive wiring installation during maintenance operations.
Stephen Bennington, CEO of Q5D, states: Modern defense increasingly depends on the ability to manufacture, repair and adapt systems quickly. He also adds that their technology helps to reduce the bottlenecks in manufacturing, accelerate repair turnaround time and improve the scalability of sustainment capabilities. Van Sullivan, owner of Molrix, claims that his company will provide the installation, integration and operational support to help to implement the technology at the Army manufacturing plants and depots.
As far as unmanned-systems manufacturing is concerned, the mentioned point is also important. The mentioned automation cell brings benefits only when it is implemented into the manufacturing process, operator training and maintenance procedures. Having wire harness robot in the manufacturing plant means nothing; the actual benefits will appear once the cell is integrated into the repeatable manufacturing process. In this regard, the mentioned support that Molrix will provide becomes the part of manufacturing.
Overall, the latest move towards unmanned systems manufacturing is in the fact that the scale of the systems is determined by ordinary but important things. Wiring harness installation is not as sexy as propellers or software or airframe design but it is the place where manufacturability, reliability and repairability intersect. If the Army wants to increase the production of drones and improve the performance of depots regarding electronics, the mentioned move towards automation looks reasonable.
In unmanned aviation, the bottleneck is not necessarily the advanced technologies but the manufacturing process that has to be repeated thousands of times without slowing down the line and depot. This particular contract is illustrative precisely due to the fact that it seeks to address such a bottleneck.
Stephen Wallace – Editor for AMI’s aerospace integration and unmanned mobility coverage, focusing on drone manufacturing, VTOL systems, autonomous networks and air-ground mobility links.
