Divergent Technologies and Mach Industries have presented the Venom airplane prototype, developed in a 71-day timeframe. This milestone is based on the integration of digital design, additive manufacturing, and a modular avionics system. The approach represents a shift in traditional development processes for unmanned aerial systems, aligning with the Department of Defense's demand to streamline the acquisition of capabilities.
Adaptive production and part consolidation ⚙️
The core of the process is Divergent's adaptive production system. This system consolidates hundreds of traditional components into a single optimized structure, manufactured via 3D printing. This integration reduces complex assemblies, improves the weight-to-strength ratio, and shortens manufacturing timelines. Mach's modular avionics enables quick configurations, making the entire development and production chain more flexible and scalable.
When a supplier's soon is truly soon ⏱️
In an unexpected twist for the defense industry, where timelines are usually measured in years or even decades, here they have managed to manufacture an airplane prototype in the time it takes others to approve a requirements review meeting. One can almost imagine the surprise of the traditional contractor who is told seventy-one days and thinks they mean the first draft of the contract. A new standard for express.