Orbital Composites, a leading advanced aerospace manufacturing company, today announced it has been awarded an AFWERX Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) contract to develop and scale production of its revolutionary modular unmanned aircraft system, Starfighter X.
The TACFI program aims to accelerate the development and deployment of innovative technologies that address critical national security needs. Orbital Composites’ selection for this program underscores the potential of its revolutionary approach to unmanned aircraft design and production.
Key aspects of the Starfighter X platform include:
- Automation: Orbital Composites has developed robotic, autonomous manufacturing processes for mass production of Starfighter X systems, which significantly reduces costs and lead times.
- Modularity: Starfighter is a highly modular platform, allowing rapid configuration of various drone types from a common set of subsystems.
- Speed: Two variants of Starfighter are in development – one capable of speeds up to 200 miles per hour, and another pushing boundaries even further to 300 mph.
- Versatility: The initial focus is on developing systems for counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) and cargo resupply missions, with the potential for expansion into other critical use cases.
- Multi-Mission Capability: Orbital Composites’ process enables the production of Group 1, 2, and 3 unmanned aerial systems (UAS), covering a wide range of capabilities from small reconnaissance drones to larger tactical systems.
“I started Orbital to build the fastest helicopter ever built,” said Cole Nielsen, founder and CTO of Orbital Composites. “We took a detour to build the necessary machines to build the factory. Now we are ready to start building disruptive products, starting with the Starfighter drones.”
“Our contrarian approach of ‘building the factory first’ uniquely positions us to tackle the challenges of scaled production,” said Amolak Badesha, cofounder and CEO of Orbital Composites. “While others focus on prototypes, we’ve invested in creating a factory that can go from concept to mass production in record time. This is now paying off as the DoD seeks rapid, scalable solutions.”
Orbital Composites’ patented Additive Manufacturing Compression Molding (AMCM) process allows for rapid production of complex aerospace components. This technology, combined with the company’s expertise in AI robotics and advanced materials, enables the manufacture of high-performance UAS platforms at a fraction of the time and cost of traditional methods.
Orbital Composites can directly 3D print and fly Starfighter aircraft, while also having the capability to scale to tens of thousands of airframes using the AMCM process. This strategy aligns closely with the Pentagon’s Replicator initiative, which aims to field thousands of autonomous systems for the U.S. warfighter in the next 12-18 months.
The scalability of the company’s robotic autonomous manufacturing processes allow it to potentially support both Replicator and the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program. While Orbital Composites intends to develop its own airframes, the company is also in talks with several prime contractors to accelerate production of larger, more exquisite aerospace platforms.
This contract builds upon Orbital Composites’ recent successes and pushes the company’s total government contract awards beyond the $10 million milestone. Orbital Composites continues to push the boundaries of aerospace manufacturing, supporting America’s competitive edge in defense, energy, and space technologies.
About Orbital Composites:
Orbital Composites is an advanced aerospace engineering company based in Campbell, CA. The company specializes in applying novel materials and 3D printing techniques to produce complex, high-performance systems at dramatically lower cost and lead time for space, defense, and commercial applications. Orbital Composites is a leader in areas like digital manufacturing, in-space servicing, advanced thermal management, and communications systems. For more information, visit orbitalcomposites.com
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