Saab is Growing its Footprint with New Location in Quincy, Massachusetts
Saab is rapidly expanding throughout the U.S. to meet the increasing demand required within several divisions. Two of these divisions are Autonomous and Undersea Systems and Surveillance Systems, and a new office in Quincy, Massachusetts, is opening this spring to support their growth.
In late 2022, the Autonomous and Undersea division secured a ten-year contract award from the U.S. Navy for the MK39 Expendable Mobile Anti-Submarine Warfare Training Target (EMATT). Saab quickly opened a brand-new 10,000-square-foot facility in Cranston, Rhode Island, where the EMATT will be built to fulfill this award. (Learn more: The Road to Rhode Island – How Autonomous and Undersea Systems is the Next Success Story for Saab in the U.S.)
And now, just a few months later, Saab is growing again, opening a new office this spring in nearby Quincy, Massachusetts – less than an hour’s drive from the Cranston facility. The Quincy office will house program management and engineering functions across several of Saab’s divisions, starting with Autonomous and Undersea Systems and Surveillance Systems.
“When you look at the U.S. market and where the focus is for undersea vehicles, it really is right here in New England,” said Jeff Smith, vice president and general manager, Saab’s Autonomous and Undersea Systems Division. “Most of the autonomous undersea platform developers exist along the northeast coast, and many of the best universities in this developing domain are also here in New England. Saab, Inc. is looking to grow our regional capabilities as we bring new systems into the U.S. market for further development and production.”
This hub will also serve the Surveillance Systems team, allowing the division to plant its growing footprint near key universities and partners and recruit expert radar and sensor talent from the area.
In the near term, the teams in Cranston, Rhode Island, and Quincy, Massachusetts, will be focused on the MK39 EMATT and the AUV62-AT, a vehicle with Swedish heritage that is being transitioned to the U.S. to meet the requirements of the U.S. Navy. As the team expands its U.S. presence, providing additional support for new U.S. Navy programs is anticipated.
“The available talent and technology resources are highly concentrated in this area between universities such as MIT and the University of Rhode Island and New England’s Blue Technology Corridor. That makes this an ideal place for attracting new talent, getting everyone to work together, and successfully collaborating with the manufacturing team,” said Chris Weeks, Saab’s Director of Programs for Autonomous and Undersea Systems.
In the next 18 months, the Autonomous and Undersea Division plans to grow the team from twenty employees to roughly 75. The addition of the Quincy, Massachusetts, location brings the number of Saab offices in the U.S. to nine and further solidifies the company’s standing in both the defense and aerospace industry and the region.