High-Performance Battery Pack Developed for Advanced Drone Systems

The Challenge

A leading defense contractor required a reliable, lightweight, and high-performance battery pack for its advanced counter-UAS (unmanned aircraft system) drone program. The packs needed to balance multiple, often competing demands: maximizing flight time, minimizing weight, and withstanding the stresses of repeated launch, flight, and landing cycles.

Adding to the complexity, the program carried strict requirements around sourcing, all components had to be procured from trusted U.S. suppliers to align with national security priorities and ensure long-term reliability. On top of these technical and sourcing challenges, the project had to move from concept to prototype in just six months to meet mission-critical deadlines.

Meeting these requirements demanded a tightly integrated engineering effort across mechanical, electrical, and thermal domains, paired with rapid prototyping and validation cycles to keep pace with the program schedule.

Approach

Re:Build partnered closely with the client’s engineering team, taking a fully integrated, end-to-end approach that ensured rapid communication, fast design iterations, and accelerated progress from concept to prototype. By combining engineering expertise with a fast-cycle development process, the team minimized risks and ensured that the program remained on schedule.

Key elements of the approach included:

System Architecture Development: Defined the pack configuration to balance weight, thermal efficiency, and ease of integration into the drone platform.
Mechanical and Electrical Engineering: Applied advanced design and analysis to deliver structural durability and reliable power delivery under high-demand operating conditions.
Rapid Prototyping: Deployed quick-turn build processes to create and refine functional prototypes on an accelerated schedule.
Performance Testing: Conducted rigorous validation under simulated flight conditions to confirm energy density, weight targets, and durability against shock and vibration.
Supplier Alignment: Partnered with qualified U.S. suppliers to secure components that met stringent defense-grade sourcing requirements.

Solution

The solution was executed in two key phases:

Design Phase: Conceptualized a lightweight, high-performance pack that optimized energy density while meeting weight and dimensional constraints.
Prototyping & Testing Phase: Built and validated prototypes, ensuring the pack could deliver consistent performance under the demanding launch, flight, and landing conditions of the counter-UAS system.

The final design provided a battery pack that was not only mission-ready but also scalable for future production, aligning with both technical performance goals and strategic supply chain requirements.

Results

The project delivered a battery solution that achieved every mission-critical requirement, from weight and durability to flight endurance and timeline compliance. By leveraging U.S. suppliers, the program also reinforced domestic manufacturing capabilities and aligned with national security priorities.

Key Outcomes

Operational Efficiency: Achieved all energy, weight, and durability goals
Mission Success: Delivered validated prototypes on a six-month timeline
Strategic Impact: Strengthened U.S. supply chains through domestic sourcing

Speak with an engineer

Let’s discuss how we can bring innovative solutions to your most challenging projects. Contact Re:Build Battery Solutions to learn more about our expertise in Battery Pack Design and Development for advanced applications.