Army leaders cut the ceremonial ribbon at Tobyhanna Army Depot (TYAD), officially opening its advanced manufacturing facility for small unmanned aircraft systems. From left: Joseph Cosimo; Maj. Gen. James D. Turinetti IV; Lt. Gen. Christopher Mohan; Col. Benjamin L. Kilgore; and Jonathan Strzelec.
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TOBYHANNA, Pa. – Tobyhanna Army Depot marked a critical expansion of its advanced manufacturing capabilities on Jun. 30, hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony to launch a new mission designed to deliver rapid, innovative, and on-demand support directly to the joint force.
The depot has officially opened its brushless DC motor assembly line, introducing a scalable domestic production capability for critical components of small uncrewed aircraft (sUAS). This new capability does two big things: it builds immediate security and resilience into Department of War (DOW) supply chains, and it moves the DOW a step closer to completely eliminating reliance on foreign suppliers.
The Army and DOW’s transformation initiatives seek to facilitate a leaner and more agile Army through development of modernized UAS/sUAS capabilities, as highlighted in the memo titled “Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance.” In it, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth described drones as “the biggest battlefield innovation in a generation.”
The ribbon cutting event was hosted by Lt. Gen. Christopher O. Mohan, Commanding General of Army Materiel Command. Also in attendance was Maj. Gen. James D. Turinetti IV, Communications-Electronics Command Commanding General, other distinguished visitors, depot leaders and members of the workforce.
Mohan celebrated the accomplishment in his keynote address.
“This is another testament to what our organic industrial base can do when given they’re given the proper guidance, the proper resources, and a timeline,” adding that Tobyhanna exceeds expectations.
“This is our most modern depot, and Team Tobyhanna is our most aggressive and forward-thinking workforce,” he said enthusiastically. “From me to you, we can’t do this without you and thank you. This is for you and for our nation. There are many more things like this that are going to happen right here in Pennsylvania.”
The depot successfully completed its first delivery of first person view small unmanned aircraft systems (commonly referred to as sUAS) in August 2025; however, that effort wasn’t the organization’s first foray into the sUAS/UAS world. Tobyhanna has a robust history of support for DOW UAS systems. The organization has supported the MQ-9 Reaper since the 2010s through public-private partnerships with L3 Harris and General Atomics.
Depot officials say the scalable production facility has a capacity to produce upwards of 500,000 motors annually.
Tobyhanna Army Depot is designated as the Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, electronics, avionics, and missile guidance and control. TYAD provides cradle-to-grave lifecycle support through depot-level repair, systems integration, software and cyber engineering, and field support.
A key enabler of operational readiness for Joint and Allied Forces globally, TYAD leverages new and emerging technologies to further expand the Department of War’s organic capabilities for microelectronics, secure communications infrastructure, unmanned aerial systems, Joint All-Domain Command and Control, Integrated Air and Missile Defense, and the Army’s Next Generation Combat Systems.
TYAD’s ability to rapidly surge production, deploy field support teams, and scale for contingency or theater-level operations makes it a vital contributor to strategic readiness and operational reach.
