The record-breaking flight took place at Edwards Air Force Base in California during the Game of Drones 26-2 event in July. The small unmanned aircraft was powered by two brushless direct current motors assembled at Tobyhanna Army Depot in Pennsylvania.
The drone remained in the air for 8 hours, 41 minutes and 43 seconds, covering roughly 300 miles. Its flight exceeded the previous world record by 50 minutes.
The achievement is particularly notable because the aircraft was designed in less than 10 minutes using adaptability software. Engineers generated the drone’s design through computer prompts, after which the complete aircraft was fabricated within 24 hours of the flight.
The rapid manufacturing process was carried out inside a mobile containerized factory. Commercial 3D printers were used to produce the drone’s frame, while the Tobyhanna motors and a battery supplied by an industry partner were integrated into the aircraft. A three-person team completed the assembly entirely on-site.
Jon Strzelec, the Army Materiel Command’s advanced manufacturing lead for small unmanned aircraft systems, described the achievement as a major milestone for AMC and Tobyhanna, particularly because the facility had only opened its new brushless motor production line on June 30.
The record demonstrates the US Army’s broader effort to strengthen domestic manufacturing of critical drone components and reduce dependence on foreign supply chains.
The Army is expanding production across several domestic facilities. Drone frames are being produced at Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois, while batteries are being assembled at Red River Army Depot in Texas.
Strzelec said the event demonstrated how government and industry can work together in innovative ways, allowing the Army to use the technical expertise and innovation of private industry.
The achievement highlights the Army’s push toward faster, more flexible and domestically supported drone manufacturing, with critical components increasingly being produced and assembled within the United States.
