Badland Batteries celebrated the opening of its battery cell manufacturing plant on Oct. 8, in Fargo, N.D. Completion of the building marks a significant milestone in bringing battery innovation to the United States and rebuilding the domestic manufacturing base needed to power defense, aerospace and autonomous systems.

Badland Batteries welcomed House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and U.S. Rep. Julie Fedorchak, R-N.D., to its Fargo battery cell manufacturing facility on Sept. 22. During the visit, the representatives toured production lines and met with company leadership to discuss the importance of U.S.-manufactured battery technology for drones, autonomous systems, aerospace and defense applications.

Packet Digital, and its subsidiary Badland Batteries, a U.S.-based leader in advanced lithium-ion battery technology for drones, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and other defense applications, announced today that it has been awarded $9.8 million as it moves to Phase 3 of its U.S. Navy contract under the Logistics UAS Family of Advanced Batteries program.

Packet Digital, the parent company of Badland Batteries, announced that it has been awarded a $27 million contract by the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division to scale domestic manufacturing of battery cells.

Packet Digital has selected Fargo, North Dakota, as the site for its to-be-constructed battery cell manufacturing facility. The location will be the third facility in the city for Packet Digital.

Less than six months after opening its battery assembly facility, Packet Digital has its eyes set on the next step — North Dakota’s first battery cell plant.