Research on AI-Assisted Digital Manufacturing, Repair and Expeditionary Manufacturing (DLA contract SP470125C0049) — a federal contract (USAspending)
The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) awarded Harrisburg University of Science & Technology a contract for research enabling manufacturing, re-manufacturing, repair and expeditionary manufacturing through AI-assisted digital processes. The contract is valued at $2.6 million.
Contract key facts
- RecipientHARRISBURG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
- Contract value$2,600,000 (≈$2.6M)
- Awarding agencyDepartment of Defense
- Awarding sub-agencyDefense Logistics Agency
- Award typeDEFINITIVE CONTRACT
- Period of performance2025-04-02 〜 2027-03-31
- Contract ID (PIID)SP470125C0049
Contract scope (original)
ENABLING MANUFACTURING, RE-MANUFACTURING, REPAIR AND EXPEDITIONARY MANUFACTURING THROUGH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ASSISTED DIGITAL PROCESSES
Key points
- The awarding agency is the Department of Defense's Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), which sources and supplies parts, materials and fuel for the U.S. military worldwide.
- The recipient is a university (Harrisburg University of Science & Technology), not a company, indicating a research and development focus.
- The purpose is to enable manufacturing, re-manufacturing, repair and expeditionary (on-site) manufacturing through AI-assisted digital processes.
- The contract is valued at $2.6 million and runs from April 2, 2025 to March 31, 2027.
- It is a definitive contract; the source data does not state specific deliverables.
This contract is an effort to strengthen the U.S. military's ability to make and fix things, using artificial intelligence to support the supply and logistics that keep forces operating. The awarding agency, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), is responsible for sourcing and supplying the parts, materials and fuel the U.S. military relies on worldwide, so how quickly and reliably it can obtain needed parts is tightly linked to mission readiness. Getting spare parts for broken equipment can be slow, and the contract aims to connect manufacturing (making new parts), re-manufacturing (rebuilding worn parts), repair (fixing), and expeditionary manufacturing (making parts on-site, such as near the front) through digital processes, with AI assisting the workflow to make this supply chain faster and more flexible.
A notable feature is that the recipient is a university (Harrisburg University of Science & Technology) rather than a company, which signals work weighted toward research and technology development ahead of full deployment. By contracting directly with a university, the Department of Defense creates a framework to explore new methods that combine AI with digital manufacturing in ways aligned to military needs. The source data does not state what specific deliverables result, so this explanation stays within the contract's stated purpose.
Viewed more broadly, the contract sits at the intersection of several trends: national defense, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing (digital production, which can include additive manufacturing), and university-led research and development. At $2.6 million it is not a large award, but it offers a window into which agencies and research institutions are pursuing technology-driven change in military logistics, and in which fields, making it a useful data point for tracking how public funds are spent through federal procurement records.
Why it matters
As one example of applying AI and digital manufacturing to defense logistics, this award helps companies and researchers interested in advanced manufacturing, AI, and university-led technology development understand which fields and institutions the Department of Defense (DLA) is funding. Its $2.6 million scale and research timeline through March 2027 serve as a reference point for tracking trends in digital production for military needs.
FAQ
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Sources (primary)
This article is an independent organization based on the U.S. official spending data below. Verify the exact, latest details with the official source.
- USAspending (award details)
- Contract ID (PIID):SP470125C0049