Case Study: Wichita State University trims UAS development time by 50% with Dassault Systèmes' 3DEXPERIENCE platform

Wichita State University - Customer Case Study

Wichita State University (WSU), through its National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) and new Innovation Campus, faced the challenge of compressing the development of an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) to a 90‑day cycle while giving students hands‑on experience with industry tools. To meet this goal WSU teamed with Dassault Systèmes and built a 3DEXPERIENCE Center to expose students to the vendor’s 3DEXPERIENCE platform and Aerospace & Defense solutions.

Dassault Systèmes provided an integrated 3DEXPERIENCE platform (including CATIA Generative Design Engineering, simulation and project‑planning tools) that enabled digital mockups, composites design, virtual testing and requirements tracking. The result: development timelines dropped from a typical three‑year process to 18 months with the student team working to cut another 50%; topology optimization added 15–30 minutes of flight time per battery charge, and the unified Dassault Systèmes platform eliminated data translation, improved project visibility and reduced rework and costs.

Wichita State University

Shawn Ehrstein

Director of Emerging Technologies and CAD/CAM