Department of Defense expanding manufacturing of printed circuit board assemblies for hypersonic weapons

The Department of Defense was awarded of $11.7 million via the Defense Production Act Investment (DPAI) Program to Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense (EBAD) that will provide additional printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) production capacity at their Simsbury, CT location. EBAD will increase existing capacity and manufacturing processes to reduce cost and accelerate PCBA production.

“This effort is a key component of the DOD’s strategy to accelerate the development and fielding of hypersonic systems and deliver cutting-edge capabilities to our armed forces,” says Dr. Laura Taylor-Kale, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy. “This award also represents another investment in domestic manufacturing in accordance with the National Defense Industrial Strategy to help build a modernized defense industrial ecosystem.”

EBAD applies state-of-the-art manufacturing technology to achieve these goals while continuing to meet weapon system requirements. These processes are proven to enable rapid prototyping and significant cost reduction.

This is the latest of 11 awards made by the DPAI program across multiple areas totaling $300 million since the beginning of Fiscal Year 2024.  DPAI is overseen by the ASD(IBP)’s Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization (MCEIP) Directorate, in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Resilience.