# ViDARR Dedicates New Virginia Beach Manufacturing Center to Navy SEAL Rear Admiral Thomas Richards

- Link: https://www.thailand-business-news.com/pr-news/vidarr-dedicates-new-virginia-beach-manufacturing-center-to-navy-seal-rear-admiral-thomas-richards
- Published: 2026-10-21T21:58:00+07:00
- Author: MarketersMEDIA Newswire

_Veteran-owned manufacturer opens 19,000-square-foot drone production facility, 
bringing advanced manufacturing jobs to Hampton Roads_

Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States, October 21, 2026 /MarketersMEDIA/ — 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.

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/mmstudio-images/gallery/k6JBPZZBPmNikufTX12xE5eCA0s2/
1792586293994-0.jpg)

Contact Info: 
Name: Sarah NovelloEmail: [Send Email](https://send.releasecontact.com/89206880)
Organization: ViDARR Inc.Phone: (877) 636-8432 x 702Website: [https://vidarrinc.com](https://vidarrinc.com)

Release ID: 89206880

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**Source** : [ViDARR Dedicates New Virginia Beach Manufacturing Center to Navy SEAL Rear Admiral Thomas Richards](https://news.marketersmedia.com/vidarr-dedicates-new-virginia-beach-manufacturing-center-to-navy-seal-rear-admiral-thomas-richards/89206880?rand=206000)

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