Rhode Island
Anduril to Open Underwater Drone Factory in Rhode Island
California drone developer Anduril Industries will establish a new center in Quonset Point, Rhode Island to increase its Dive-LD autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) production.
The factory will encompass 150,000 square meters (37 acres) of area and will include dedicated service bays, testing laboratories, and additional spaces to accommodate lifecycle tasks from research through sustainment.
The center is expected to boost the assembly of Dive-LD’s family of AUVs to more than 200 annually and create over 100 jobs within the first five years of its launch in 2025.
“We are thrilled to build a state-of-the-art production manufacturing facility for our LD family of vehicles in Quonset Point. Affordable, distributed mass is a central tenet of undersea deterrence and we look forward to supporting large-scale, cost-effective AUV deployments with our new facility,” Anduril Industries SVP Shane Arnott stated.
“Our Maritime Division continues to develop advanced undersea capabilities and, with large contract awards both in the United States and Australia, we are committed to the mass manufacturing of those proven capabilities at speed and at scales that matter.”
US Navy LDUUV Contract
The announcement follows Anduril’s selection under the Defense Innovation Unit’s prototyping effort to develop Large Displacement Unmanned Underwater Vehicles or LDUUVs for the US Navy.
The project involved a “swim-off” competition and was followed by an $18.6-million order for Anduril’s Dive AUVs.
“Over the last 6 months, the US Navy, in partnership with DIU and Congress, has driven an aggressive program timeline to put vendors on contract, acquire capabilities, and rapidly demonstrate those capabilities with warfighters,” Anduril Industries Director Nick Stoner said.
“This contract is a fantastic example of how the US Navy can incentivize industry to make capital investments and produce the kinds of undersea asymmetric advantages our Fleet Commanders need, on the timelines they need them.”
Anduril’s ‘Reliable, Flexible’ System
Dive-LD is a 3-ton (2,720-kilogram) system designed for seafloor missions down to 6,000 meters (19,700 feet).
It is built with a 3D-printed chassis to sustain buoyancy and support user configurations. It has a speed of up to 7 knots (13 kilometers/8 miles per hour), a survey range of up to 313 nautical miles (580 miles), and up to 10 days of autonomous, long-endurance deployment.
“Dive-LD is foundational to Anduril’s maritime capabilities for commercial and defense applications,” Anduril Chief Strategy Officer Chris Brose explained during the recent US Navy competition.
“By combining proven subsea vehicle development expertise with advanced manufacturing processes, the platform is quick to produce, economical to manufacture and service, simple to customize, and robust in operation.”
“Dive-LD is the most reliable and flexible AUV on the market today, capable of rapidly integrating complex payloads or multi-sensor suites to provide advanced capability for a wide range of missions.”
Rhode Island
RI AG Neronha joins lawsuit against Trump admin for canceled disaster prevention grants
Extreme weather, like the floods in Texas, is causing eco-anxiety
Flash floods, heat domes and wildfires are causing our youth to experience eco-distress. How do we help them be more resilient?
- Trump administration terminated a billion-dollar program aimed at protecting communities against natural disasters through infrastructure upgrades.
- RI joined coalition of 20 states in filing the lawsuit against FEMA and Kristi Noem.
- FEMA and Noem have come under scrutiny for their lackluster response to the Texas floods.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha sued the Trump administration on July 16 to stop the termination of a multibillion-dollar grant program aimed at protecting communities against natural disasters through infrastructure upgrade projects.
Neronha joined a coalition of 20 mostly Democrat-led states in filing the lawsuit against the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Boston federal court.
“There’s no denying that Rhode Island is particularly susceptible to the ever-increasing effects of climate change, which is why we need to stay ahead of the curve on mitigating risk,” said Neronha in a press release. “It’s high time we seriously ask ourselves if this is a federal government for the people, or for itself. Anyone who’s paying attention already knows the answer.”
The lawsuit comes just a couple weeks after devastating flooding in Texas killed over 130 people. In the weeks since, FEMA and Noem have come under scrutiny for their lackluster response to the disaster. According to reporting from The New York Times, the agency struggled to answer calls from survivors because call center contracts had not been extended. Noem has denied the reporting.
Joining Neronha in filing this lawsuit are attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
What is the BRIC program?
Neronha is suing over FEMA’s termination of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program in April.
The BRIC program provides communities with resources to fortify their infrastructure before natural disasters strike. It covers 75% of the costs of infrastructure programs (90% in rural areas) that are meant to protect communities from natural disasters.
According to the lawsuit, BRIC has provided about $4.5 billion in grants for nearly 2,000 projects over the past four years.
What is the disaster funding used for?
According to the Attorney General’s office, the funding has been used for “difficult-to-fund projects” like evacuation shelters and flood walls, safeguarding utility grids against wildfires, protecting wastewater and drinking water infrastructure, and fortifying bridges, roadways, and culverts.
In Rhode Island, the University of Rhode Island is currently using funding from the program to develop new and enhanced tools to map flood risk in Rhode Island for coastal and inland waters.
Why are the attorneys general suing?
FEMA said they terminated the BRIC program because it had been wasteful, ineffective and politicized.
But the attorneys general say that mitigation projects reduce injuries, save lives, protect property and save money, and that the ending of the program means that Americans face a “higher risk of harm from natural disasters.”
They say that the move to cancel the program is in violation of Congress’s decision to fund it and violates the Separation of Powers and the Administrative Procedures Act. They are also claiming that Cameron Hamilton, who gave the directive to terminate the BRIC program as the acting director of FEMA, was not properly appointed and therefore did not have the authority to cancel it.
“The President understands that he and his Administration do not have the power to unilaterally withhold Congressionally allocated funding to the states, and yet here we are again,” said Neronha. “Over the past six months, Democratic attorneys general from across the nation have sued to claw back rightfully allocated funds for everything from education and infrastructure to public health and emergency management.”
The attorneys general are seeking to prevent the termination of the BRIC program and restore the funds.
Contributing: Reuters
Inside the Rhode Island State House: Video tour
In 2024, tour guides gave more than 550 tours to more than 12,000 visitors from all over the world.
Journal Staff
PROVIDENCE – Neil Steinberg is stepping down as the chairman of the board of the Rhode Island Life Science Hub, a role he assumed in October 2023 after he retired from the Rhode Island Foundation five months prior.
In a three-page resignation letter dated July 15, Steinberg wrote that he wants to spend time with his family and travel as part of his retirement, along with working on “other key” priorities in the state including public education, health care and housing.
“Given the SUBSTANTIAL time I have invested in the past few years, and the solid foundation now established, I am willing to make this resignation effective on a day of your choosing, but not later than September 30, 2025,” he wrote to Gov. Dan McKee.
Steinberg was volunteering his time on the board.
The Life Science Hub was initially funded with $45 million from the state. Its president and CEO is Mark Turco.
What has the RI Life Science Hub been doing?
Among the other achievements is this last legislative session when the hub secured changes to its enabling statute, the organization convened a 500-person summit and a $10-million agreement to establish Ocean State Labs, an incubator for life sciences, to be housed inside of the new seven-story building that also will house the new State Health Laboratory.
“Our progress confirms the potential for the life sciences to contribute to Rhode Island’s broader economic development strategy over the long term,” Steinberg wrote. “Realizing this potential will, of course, require additional financial resources beyond the ARPA funds which will fund the agency through 2026.”
Steinberg also lauded landing Organogenesis Holdings preparing to open a manufacturing facility for advanced biomedical supplies in Smithfield.
McKee: Steinberg established a ‘strong foundation’
In a written statement, McKee wrote that Steinberg helped establish a “strong foundation for this growing industry” and lauded his efforts to land Organogenesis in Rhode Island.
“We’re excited to build on that momentum with Hub President Dr. Mark Turco and the board as we continue expanding opportunities in life sciences and strengthening Rhode Island’s economy,” McKee wrote.
Read Steinberg’s resignation letter below:
This story has been updated with new information
The bodies of two Massachusetts brothers who went missing near a Rhode Island beach Saturday night were recovered by authorities Sunday morning, according to police.
Stoughton residents Aldino and Valdir Centeio, 27 and 31, respectively, went missing following an incident near Warrens Point Beach in Little Compton on July 12, according to an email from Little Compton police. Little Compton Fire Rescue and a state emergency management department boat recovered their bodies around 11:15 a.m. the following day near where they were last scene.
The Rhode Island Medical Examiner’s Office has taken custody of the Centeios’ bodies, police said.
The initial distress call reported that a man had fallen from rocks along the shoreline into the water near the Warren’s Point Beach Club, The Boston Globe reported. Witnesses told police a second fisherman jumped into the water to try to rescue the first man, but both were swept away by the current.
A third man also went into the water to try to help the first two men, but he had to be rescued, the Globe reported.
No further information has been released.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Republican Winsome Earle-Sears shakes up campaign staff in Virginia governor’s race
Costco is opening a new Washington state location in August. See where
West Virginia to spend nearly $25 million to increase truck parking at three existing facilities along I-81, I-64, and I-79
I-90 Jane Doe identified after 33 years; alleged killer to be extradited to Wyoming
What’s a stablecoin? House passes landmark bills to regulate the cryptocurrency
-
News1 week agoVideo: Trump Compliments President of Liberia on His ‘Beautiful English’
-
News6 days agoVideo: Clashes After Immigration Raid at California Cannabis Farm
-
Politics1 week agoJournalist who refused to duck during Trump assassination attempt reflects on Butler rally in new book
-
Business1 week ago
Commentary: Does America need billionaires? Billionaires say 'Yes!'
-
Politics1 week agoObama officials used dossier to probe, brief Trump despite knowing it was unverified 'internet rumor'
-
News1 week agoDOGE keeps gaining access to sensitive data. Now, it can cut off billions to farmers
-
World6 days agoNew amnesty law for human rights abuses in Peru prompts fury, action
-
News6 days agoTrump heads to Texas as recovery efforts from deadly flood continue
