Saab Expands U.S. Domestic Capabilities with the Opening of New Undersea Division Office in Cranston, RI
The Rhode Island office will serve as the production facility for Saab’s Autonomous and Undersea Systems Division.
In 2022, Saab’s Autonomous and Undersea Division secured a ten-year contract with a potential value of up to $173.2 million from the U.S. Navy for the MK39 Expendable Mobile Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Training Target (EMATT). To support this contract, and with an eye to future endeavors, Saab recently opened a new office in Cranston, RI. This office will serve as the heart of production for the contract and expand the company’s domestic production capabilities for autonomous undersea vehicles.
Saab’s brand-new office will lead the production of approximately 1,000 EMATTs per year over the next ten years. The EMATT is an unmanned, underwater vehicle used in warfare training to mimic the acoustics and signals of a submarine so sonar operators can train themselves to track threats.
The Cranston facility is strategically located close to the U.S. Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, RI, and next door to SyQwest, Saab’s partner, acoustics manufacturing expert and a key supplier for EMATT. Saab expects to employ engineers, technicians, and other professionals at the new facility.
Saab’s Cranston, RI facility and the recently-opened Quincy, MA office will support the company’s Autonomous and Undersea Systems Division and demonstrate a commitment from Saab to deepen the company’s roots in the area.
The new division significantly increases Saab’s presence in the United States, leveraging market-leading capabilities in ASW Training Targets, Remotely Operated Vehicles, Unmanned Underwater Vehicles, and emerging capabilities in Unmanned Surface Vehicles.
“New England, and Rhode Island in particular, is the heart of autonomous undersea vehicle production in the U.S.,” said Jeff Smith, vice president and general manager, Saab’s Autonomous and Undersea Systems Division. “The proximity to our customer, the U.S. Naval Undersea Warfare Center, allows for a collaborative, in-person relationship. With Rhode Island’s unified and unparalleled commitment to creating more Research & Development jobs across the state, it makes perfect sense to grow our business here.”