CHICAGO – Today, MxD announced it has been awarded a total of $67 million from the U.S. Department of War to support nine new projects that build on the institute’s ongoing work to modernize the Organic Industrial Base (OIB). The projects will accelerate the adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies, supercharge critical defense production, enhance workforce capabilities and strengthen the overall U.S. defense manufacturing enterprise.
“These awards build on years of collaboration with the U.S. military to modernize the Organic Industrial Base,” said MxD CEO Berardino Baratta. “By bringing together innovators from government and industry, MxD will continue accelerating the deployment of advanced manufacturing solutions that increase production capacity, strengthen operational resilience and ensure our nation’s defense manufacturing infrastructure is prepared for the future.”
Over the past several years, MxD has served as a trusted, neutral partner to the U.S. military and its manufacturing facilities, working alongside industry partners. These new awards expand that collaboration, enabling MxD to continue delivering innovative technology solutions that address some of the military’s most pressing manufacturing challenges.
Two MxD members were selected as sub-awardees on the projects, including EWI and Olin Winchester. MxD expects to release solicitations for additional sub-award opportunities in the coming months.
The OIB consists of government-owned manufacturing facilities that produce and sustain critical military systems, munitions and other essential defense capabilities. Many of these facilities rely on aging equipment and legacy manufacturing processes, creating opportunities for modernization through digital technologies, automation and advanced manufacturing approaches. For years, MxD staff have been on the ground at several OIB factory floors, helping to evaluate, test and implement technologies that improve operational performance while reducing risk.
These new projects span a broad range of advanced manufacturing technologies, including digital operations, AI-enabled robotics, AI-enabled process planning, and real-time quality inspection.
The nine new projects are:
- MxD Sensor Kit 2.0 at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard: Building on an MxD pilot project at Portsmouth, this project will develop the next generation of the MxD Sensor Kit to securely connect legacy manufacturing equipment with modern digital systems. By providing real-time machine data, the technology will increase productivity and enable predictive maintenance without requiring costly replacement of existing machinery. The scalable, cyber-secure solution will help to quickly modernize manufacturing operations across the OIB while creating a foundation for future technologies such as AI-enabled analytics and digital twins.
- Building Domestic Drone Motor Production: This project will establish a digitally-enabled pilot assembly line for small brushless direct current (BLDC) motors – critical components used in drones. The project, a continuation of ongoing MxD work at Tobyhanna, will help onshore a key manufacturing capability, reducing reliance on foreign suppliers while strengthening the resilience of the defense supply chain. Advanced digital manufacturing technologies, including digital twins and in-process quality monitoring, will improve production efficiency, quality and scalability for future defense needs.
- Private 5G for Smart Depots: This project will establish secure integration of private 5G networks into Army operations through testbeds at Anniston and Sierra Army Depots. The effort will generate the data, cybersecurity guidance and engineering best practices needed to support future deployment of private 5G across the Organic Industrial Base. By laying the foundation for more connected and digitally-enabled environments, the project will help improve operational agility, data sharing and long-term resilience.
- AI-Enabled Digital Twin for Smart Manufacturing: Building on MxD’s previous work at Picatinny Arsenal, this project will advance a digital twin for batch energetics manufacturing by integrating artificial intelligence to optimize production processes. The effort will develop and validate a reinforcement learning approach that enables manufacturers to continuously improve process performance through data-driven recommendations and closed-loop optimization. The project lays the foundation for safer, more efficient and more consistent production of critical defense materials while providing a repeatable model for modernizing legacy manufacturing operations.
- Modernizing Critical Component Repair: This project will modernize thermal and cold spray repair operations across three Air Logistics Complexes by connecting more than 30 spray booths through a common digital platform. Digital twins, standardized robotic programming and in-process coating thickness monitoring will make repair procedures easier to transfer between facilities, reduce rework and improve consistency for critical military components such as turbine blades, rotor blades and landing gear. The project will also capture experienced operators’ process knowledge and provide training so the workforce can independently operate and expand the technology.
- AI-Enabled Robotic Welding: In partnership with the Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division, this project will develop a framework to accelerate the qualification of AI-driven robotic welding for naval manufacturing. By combining production-scale data with artificial intelligence, the effort will create a reusable AI welding model that streamlines qualification while ensuring consistent, high-quality welds for critical defense applications. The approach will help modernize shipbuilding and establish a scalable pathway for deploying AI-enabled manufacturing technologies across the Organic Industrial Base.
- Cybersecure Manufacturing Modernization: This project will develop and validate a scalable framework for securely integrating legacy and modern manufacturing equipment across the Navy’s Organic Industrial Base. Using a live testbed, the effort will evaluate connectivity and cybersecurity approaches to create government-owned engineering guidance for future modernization initiatives. The resulting blueprint will help manufacturers improve operational visibility, strengthen cyber resilience and accelerate digital transformation across defense production facilities.
- Small and Medium Caliber Ammunition Links Heat Treatment Pilot Line: This project will improve production capability through modernization of critical manufacturing processes. These investments will help ensure consistent product quality, reduce variability, and support a reliable supply of mission-critical components.
- Energetic Process Synthesis Optimization Using Real-Time Process Analytics: This project will implement advanced process analytics and integrate monitoring capabilities to improve manufacturing visibility, strengthen process control, and increase operational safety.
