Why Aerospace & Defense Teams Choose Onshape for Product Development

Aerospace and defense organizations operate in the most demanding of environments. Often, this entails widespread collaboration, stringent compliance requirements, and the pressure to innovate at an unprecedented pace.

To say this is a challenge for file-based CAD systems is a major understatement. Those systems require a heavy IT infrastructure, create version control headaches, and slow down decision-making.

Onshape changes that.

Why Does “Cloud-Native” Matter?

Onshape, the fastest-growing cloud-native CAD and PDM platform, is built for agility, security, and speed, making it an ideal solution for forward-thinking aerospace and defense teams.

By leveraging its cloud-native architecture, engineers can…

• collaborate in real-time from anywhere in the world,
• avoid delays related to waiting for files to sync,
• and never need to worry about version conflicts.

This is because everyone works on the same design and the same software build simultaneously. By using Onshape, there’s no need for installs, updates, or VPNs. This significantly reduces IT overhead, allowing design teams to focus more on innovation.

What About Compliance?

Compliance is non-negotiable in the aerospace and defense industries. Onshape Government, hosted on AWS GovCloud, facilitates ITAR and EAR compliance while delivering the same powerful collaboration features as the core platform. Security is built in, featuring end-to-end encryption, strict access controls, and continuous monitoring to safeguard sensitive data.

What Makes Onshape’s Features Different?

Innovation happens faster with Onshape, and companies like Aura Aero have already cut design time by 80% using Onshape’s automation tools. Black Swift Technologies leverages branching and merging to explore multiple design iterations without risk.

These capabilities empower teams to experiment and iterate quickly, which is critical for R&D-intensive aerospace engineering projects.

Onshape also brings intelligence to the design process. The integrated AI Advisor provides real-time guidance and best practices, helping teams transition from legacy CAD systems and optimize workflows for efficiency and accuracy.

Onshape Automation

Onshape’s automation tools, including custom features created with FeatureScript, eliminate repetitive tasks and accelerate design cycles, allowing engineers to focus on innovation.

Aura Aero leveraged these capabilities to reduce design time by 80%, a game-changing improvement for teams under tight deadlines or managing complex assemblies.

Automation ensures consistency and speed without sacrificing quality, making it indispensable for modern product development.

Branching & Merging

Branching and merging in Onshape allows teams to explore multiple design directions without risk.

Black Swift Technologies utilizes this feature to innovate more quickly while maintaining complete control over design history. By enabling safe experimentation, branching and merging foster creativity and collaboration, which is perfect for environments where iteration drives success.

AI アドバイザー

AI Advisor brings intelligence to every stage of the design process. It provides real-time guidance and best practices, helping teams transition smoothly from legacy CAD systems while optimizing workflows for efficiency and accuracy. This proactive support reduces errors and accelerates onboarding, ensuring teams can focus on delivering high-quality designs.

What Can Your Team Accomplish with Onshape?

Leading innovators, such as Aura Aero and Black Swift Technologies, trust Onshape to accelerate development and deliver next-generation solutions. Their success stories highlight the significant impact of cloud-native CAD on the aerospace and defense industries.

It's time to see how Onshape can improve your engineering throughput.