FlightWave Aerospace Systems Corporation is an industry leading manufacturer of dual-use VTOL drones, sensors, and software solutions, located in Torrance, CA. FlightWave designs and manufactures the Edge 130 VTOL drone and payload cameras for the commercial, defense, security, and intelligence markets. The fully autonomous Edge 130 sUAS has the best flight endurance in its class with AI edge compute capabilities and provides superior aerial data capture to both the commercial and defense markets.
Arena PLM for AWS GovCloud
It’s powerful without being overly complicated
Achieved a comprehensive operational transformation that fundamentally changed how FlightWave manages product development, change control, and manufacturing execution
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Arena PLM for AWS GovCloud
It’s powerful without being overly complicated
Achieved a comprehensive operational transformation that fundamentally changed how FlightWave manages product development, change control, and manufacturing execution
FlightWave Aerospace, a Red Cat Company, is redefining what’s possible in the small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) market. Their product, the Edge 130, a tricopter capable of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL), existed as an early production system.
When FlightWave joined Red Cat Holdings and began rapidly expanding operations, the company quickly outgrew its existing tools and informal product development processes. Engineering documentation, bills of materials (BOMs), and change data were spread across a lightweight enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, supplemented by shared drives, spreadsheets, and email. While workable during early development, the environment quickly became a bottleneck. “We found it really limiting in terms of controls and configurability,” FlightWave’s Doug Rieck, Vice President Engineering and Product, explained. “There were a lot of manual data changes, a lack of workflows for new releases, no real engineering change order (ECO) process, and revision control was painful. It was very clear; we were outgrowing that system.”
Key challenges to overcome included:
With ongoing issues, leadership recognized the need for a robust, purpose-built product lifecycle management (PLM) solution that could support controlled processes without slowing engineering velocity.
—Doug Rieck, Vice President Engineering and Product, FlightWave
The decision to adopt Arena by PTC was driven by firsthand experience and organizational alignment. Arena was already in use within the parent organization, Red Cat. In addition, FlightWave had secured Jer-Nee Consulting for their expertise in helping aerospace and defense companies establish operational transformation processes, change governance, and scalable product development operating models aligned with modern PLM environments. Jer-Nee recommended Arena as an ideal platform, and FlightWave’s engineering leadership had successfully implemented Arena in previous roles. “There wasn’t much debate,” said Doug. “Arena is intuitive, it’s easy to use, and it has the right balance of control and flexibility.” Arena’s AWS GovCloud offering was also a key factor supporting FlightWave’s current and future defense-related requirements.
FlightWave implemented a modern PLM foundation that now serves as the system of record across engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, and quality. The new PLM solution not only facilitates growth and reduces risk, but also prepares the company for future compliance requirements.
To maximize adoption and minimize disruption, FlightWave and Jer-Nee took a phased implementation approach. “We were ruthless about keeping it simple,” Doug explained. “Overly complicated workflows can kill adoption.”
The initial phase focused on PLM functionality and establishing Arena as the system of record. This included:
By focusing on essentials, the company went live in approximately eight weeks, an accelerated timeline for an aerospace manufacturer. “That speed was possible because we were disciplined about scope,” Doug said.
With Arena in daily use, FlightWave expanded functionality to support more precise controls:
Jer-Nee played a critical role throughout both phases by providing structure, CCB cadence, and a clear roadmap. “Our partner Jer-Nee really set the pace,” said Doug. “They gave us a program-level view while the internal team stayed focused on engineering and manufacturing execution.”
Arena now serves as FlightWave’s centralized source of truth across engineering, supply chain procurement, production, and quality. “Arena is where everyone goes for the current revision,” said Doug. “Whether it’s a mechanical STEP file, PCB fab data, or assembly documentation, it’s all there.” By consolidating product information into a single cloud-native platform, the company eliminated version confusion and significantly improved cross-functional collaboration. Jer-Nee’s structured implementation approach ensured Arena PLM was successfully embedded into FlightWave’s engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, and quality processes as the central system of record.
Key outcomes include:
Arena PLM for AWS GovCloud has laid the groundwork for scalable growth. With the adoption of Arena QMS, SCI, and component-level compliance next in line, FlightWave is well positioned to redefine endurance, range, and portability innovation. This was not simply a PLM implementation; it was an operational inflection point delivering substantial measurable financial return and long-term enterprise value. As autonomous systems evolve and operational demands increase, Arena provides the digital foundation FlightWave needs to innovate faster, scale smarter, and deliver mission-critical products with confidence.
—Doug Rieck, Vice President Engineering and Product, FlightWave
