While the aerospace and defense industries are under significant pressure to manage costs, they have increased their use of composites to help improve performance and extend flight endurance.
One local company that is meeting that demand is Vista-based Carbon by Design. From composites in combat to unmanned systems and spacecrafts, Carbon by Design is a renowned leader for its manufacturing of unmanned systems (UAV’s) and advanced composite structures.
The company was first launched in 2003 primarily to serve the automotive aftermarket focused on carbon fiber composite products. By the time 2007 arrived, Carbon by Design had already initiated the pivot towards aerospace. As the aerospace offerings increased, the automotive business quickly became a legacy product line and eventually was discontinued in 2016. Carbon by Design was then acquired by Heico Corporation in June 2017.
Today, Carbon by Design is highly focused on three niches – unmanned aircraft structures, spacecraft composites, and thermal/reentry shielding.
