For a UAV design project, ALTEN Technology focused on optimizing a quadcopter airframe for enhanced reliability, manufacturing efficiency, and design for excellence (DFX). Their comprehensive approach involved conducting a trade study to gather client feedback regarding flight failures and assembly challenges, evaluating vehicle subsystems for improved serviceability, and pursuing a modular design to simplify maintenance and boost overall reliability. Key outcomes included a 23% mass reduction in modified payload interface subassemblies, successful redesigns of the fuselage for a next-generation drone to ensure modularity, and optimization of the airframe design to meet FAA type certification requirements for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations. The team utilized advanced tools such as destructive composite testing, SolidWorks, Femap with NX Nastran for composite analysis, and high-speed video for impact analysis, drawing upon expertise in Mechanical Engineering, Project Management, Systems Engineering, and Electrical Engineering.