The Department of Defense announced an award 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,” said 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. For more information on MCEIP or the NDIS, please visit: https://www.businessdefense.gov/ibr/mceip/index.html or https://www.businessdefense.gov/NDIS.html
About the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy (OASD (IBP)
The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy (ASD IBP) works with domestic and international partners to forge and sustain a robust, secure, and resilient industrial base enabling the warfighter, now and in the future. The office is committed to ensuring resilient, robust domestic supply chains to reduce reliance on foreign manufacturing and correct domestic shortfalls in the defense industrial base.