Veteran-owned manufacturer opens 19,000-square-foot drone production facility, bringing advanced manufacturing jobs to Hampton Roads
-- ViDARR Inc., a veteran-owned defense manufacturer, opened its new Virginia Beach production facility on October 1 and dedicated it to the memory of the late Rear Admiral Thomas R. Richards, a Navy SEAL and a mentor to company founder Cliff Byrd. The building was named ViDARR's Thomas R. Richards Warfare Development Center in his honor. Jacky Richards, the admiral's widow, attended the dedication with members of the family.
Richards, known throughout the SEAL community as "Hulk," commanded SEAL Team ONE from 1986 to 1988 and led Naval Special Warfare Command from 1996 to 1999, retiring after thirty years of service. As a young lieutenant in Vietnam, his platoon was ambushed and three of his teammates were seriously wounded. Shot through the hand, Richards directed covering fire from a helicopter gunship, crossed the kill zone repeatedly to drag each man to safety, and then lifted all three into the evacuation helicopter with his one uninjured hand. He received the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star with Combat "V"; the Navy upgraded that valor award to the Silver Star in 2023, more than fifty years later. He died in September 2025.
"By placing Admiral Richards's name on this building, we are making a promise," said Cliff Byrd, founder of ViDARR Inc. "That the work done here will reflect the standards he lived by. Steadfastness, principle, responsibility, and commitment to the people who depend on us."
For Byrd, the dedication is personal. A former Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewman and a former operator at Naval Special Warfare Development Group, he was later mentored by Richards at Juliet Marine Systems. Richards was an early champion of the SWCC community and, according to remarks delivered at the ceremony, helped establish the professional recognition that gave crewmen like Byrd a defined career path.
The 19,000-square-foot facility becomes ViDARR's production and manufacturing hub. The company's Portsmouth, New Hampshire site continues as its research and development center, giving ViDARR an integrated operation that moves systems from R&D through production within the company.
Two programs anchor the new facility. The vFORGE is a deployable drone production lab built into an ISU-90 container, designed so that unmanned systems can be manufactured, repaired and reconfigured at the edge rather than shipped back to a factory. The REAVERS small unmanned aircraft system is a modular, solderless platform with an open payload architecture, assembled in under thirty minutes without special tools and built to be fielded and rebuilt by its operators.
"There is a line from Admiral Richards that I carry with me. The enemy always gets a vote," Byrd said. "We can build a plan, develop a system, and prepare for what we expect. Then the enemy adapts, conditions change, and the warfighter has to respond. Someone will eventually depend on the work that leaves this building. Each of us has a responsibility to that person, and to the family waiting for them to come home."
ViDARR expects the facility to add advanced manufacturing capacity and jobs to the region, with a deliberate emphasis on hiring veterans and reserve service members.
"ViDARR's decision to establish a new manufacturing hub in Virginia Beach is a great example of what happens when veteran entrepreneurship and a strong defense workforce come together," said Representative Jen Kiggans, who represents Virginia's Second District. "ViDARR's role in creating meaningful opportunities for veterans and Reserve servicemembers while also investing in our local economy and defense manufacturing industry is inspiring. I'm grateful to ViDARR for its investment in Hampton Roads, and I look forward to seeing the company continue to grow and create good-paying jobs for the hardworking men and women in our community."
Roughly 150 guests from the military, government and industry communities attended the opening, including Representative Jen Kiggans, Delegate Michael Feggans and the office of Senator Tim Kaine.
About ViDARR Inc.
ViDARR Inc. is a veteran-owned defense manufacturer founded in 2019 by U.S. special operations veterans and defense professionals. Through its Robotics and Defense Solutions affiliated companies, ViDARR builds unmanned systems and night vision optics and provides kitting, build-to-print, logistics and sustainment support to defense programs. ViDARR is headquartered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, with manufacturing operations in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Learn more at vidarrinc.com.
Contact Info:
Name: Sarah Novello
Email: Send Email
Organization: ViDARR Inc.
Phone: (877) 636-8432 x 702
Website: https://vidarrinc.com
Release ID: 89206880
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