Packet Digital wins $9.8M contract to scale battery production

Packet Digital, and its subsidiary Badland Batteries, a US-based battery technology company specializing in drones, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and other defense applications, has announced that it has been awarded USD 9.8 million as it moves to Phase 3 of its US Navy contract under the Logistics UAS Family of Advanced Batteries program. 

This follows the successful completion of Phase 2, which focused on cell manufacturing plant design, equipment selection, installation and facility construction. With the Badland Batteries factory now built, and commissioning underway, Phase 3 will focus on scaling production volumes, validating large-scale material supply chains, installing and qualifying production equipment, and ramping manufacturing throughput to meet Navy requirements, the company said.

“Completing our factory build and moving into production ramp-up is a critical inflection point for our company, but more importantly for domestic battery manufacturing for national defense,” said Terri Zimmerman, CEO of Packet Digital. “Phase 3 is where years of planning, engineering and investment turn into high-rate production capability for the US Navy, national defense and commercial markets.”

“Packet Digital is playing a key role in strengthening our Navy’s unmanned systems capabilities with advanced, domestically produced battery technology,” said US Sen. John Hoeven. “We worked to secure continued funding under this contract because it keeps that work moving forward in North Dakota, supports good-paying manufacturing jobs and helps ensure a secure supply chain while reducing our reliance on materials from adversaries.”

The Badland battery cell manufacturing facility is designed to support multiple high-performance lithium-ion chemistries, ensuring flexibility to meet evolving Navy mission requirements.