A battery-powered Group 1 small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) set a world endurance record at Edwards Air Force Base, California, flying for 8 hours, 41 minutes, and 43 seconds. Powered by two brushless direct current motors assembled at Tobyhanna Army Depot (TYAD), Pennsylvania, the drone covered approximately 300 miles during the “Game of Drones 26-2” demonstration held July 15–17, exceeding the previous record by 50 minutes.
As reported by DVIDS, the record-breaking flight marked the first major outdoor operational test of TYAD-assembled motors on an active aircraft. The drone structure was designed in under 10 minutes using the Prometheus adaptability software and fabricated within 24 hours inside a mobile containerized production factory using 3D printers, integrated with the depot’s motors and an industry partner’s battery on-site.
The milestone highlights efforts by Army Materiel Command (AMC) to build domestic, secure supply chains for defense systems within the Organic Industrial Base (OIB). AMC initiatives include frame manufacturing at Rock Island Arsenal-Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center and battery production at Red River Army Depot. The project aims to secure Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) approval for inclusion on the Blue List of compliant, US-manufactured UAS components, with performance data officially submitted to the Guinness Book of World Records for verification.
