Tobyhanna Depot Expands Drone Component Manufacturing with Advanced Assembly Lines

TOBYHANNA ARMY DEPOT, Pa. — Army officials unveiled plans to significantly increase drone component production at the depot through new assembly lines designed to operate at an unprecedented scale.

The initiative aligns with an upcoming advanced manufacturing strategy aimed at accelerating UAS (unmanned aerial systems) production within the U.S. Jonathan Strzelec, chief of Tobyhanna’s Transformation Office, emphasized the challenges of adapting traditional manufacturing timelines—typically spanning five to eight years—to faster deployment models requiring execution within weeks or months.

Strzelec highlighted two critical components: brushless motors and circuit card assemblies. The depot is launching its brushless motor assembly line today with an initial production target of 200,000 units, though the exact timeline remains unspecified. The line can produce up to 1,500 motors daily, sufficient to support 375 drones (each requiring four motors). Monthly output will depend on leadership directives and material availability.

For circuit card assemblies, the depot aims to establish a new line capable of manufacturing one million cards daily by fiscal 2027. Currently, all circuit cards are sourced from unspecified international suppliers, some of which involve components linked to undesirable partners. Strzelec noted that four of the five circuits used in first-person-view drones—responsible for video feeds, motor speed, GPS, and power generation—will be produced locally. The fifth, handling radio functions, requires additional expertise not yet available at the depot.

To accelerate production, the Army plans to engage small, venture-backed vendors who will lease its facilities rather than build their own. This model, described as private-public partnerships or cooperative agreements, reduces costs and time barriers for companies while allowing the Army to monetize equipment and reallocate personnel to core missions, according to Col. James Crocker, deputy director of the Army’s Organic Industrial Base Integration Office.

Flexibility is a key advantage. Crocker stated that with minor tooling adjustments, the depot could repurpose brushless motors for non-drone Army platforms or even serve commercial automotive industries during supply disruptions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for instance, circuit card shortages impacted vehicle production. If similar crises recur, the depot could legally manufacture circuit cards for automotive giants like Ford or Toyota under cooperative agreements, Crocker added.

Strzelec echoed this vision, explaining that the OIB transformation focuses on leveraging existing resources to create a more adaptable and efficient industrial base, capable of addressing both military and civilian needs dynamically.

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