Defense optics manufacturer to open Virginia Beach facility

Vidarr, which makes night vision goggles and other defense optical equipment, will invest $2.69 million over the next three years to open a manufacturing facility in Virginia Beach, a project estimated to create 40 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Friday.

The New Hampshire company’s manufacturing facility is moving into a 16,410-square-foot building located at 2656 Lishelle Place, near the Oceana Naval Air Station.

“Vidarr’s decision to establish a manufacturing facility in the city of Virginia Beach highlights the region’s strategic importance for the defense industry,” Youngkin said in a statement.

Vidarr manufactures and assembles a range of defense technologies, including night vision goggles, thermal optics and autonomous systems. Its drone thermal optics technology can detect heat signatures through smoke, fog and dense terrain.

“Vidarr is proud to open a new, state-of-the-art facility in Virginia Beach,” Viddar President Cliff Byrd said in a statement. “Our new Virginia headquarters will provide advanced solutions tailored to the unique needs of the region’s vast defense sector.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Virginia Beach and the Hampton Roads Alliance on the project. VEDP will support Vidarr through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program, which provides consultation and funding to companies creating jobs to support employee recruitment and training activities.