Red Cat Celebrates Inaugural Blue Ops Day in Georgia, Marking a Year of Growth in U.S. Maritime Manufacturing

Red Cat Holdings, Inc., a U.S.-based provider of autonomous drone and robotic systems for defense and national security, announced that its Blue Ops maritime division marked its inaugural Blue Ops Day on September 21 with an event at its manufacturing facility in Valdosta, Georgia.

The occasion was recognized through proclamations from the State of Georgia and Valdosta-Lowndes County, highlighting a year of expansion for Blue Ops in the state. Since leasing its 155,000-square-foot Valdosta facility in September 2025, the company has expanded its domestic manufacturing capabilities, announced a planned $30 million investment and more than 200 local jobs, introduced advanced manufacturing technologies, and begun scaling production of its Variant 7 Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) toward full-rate manufacturing.

The event brought together Red Cat and Blue Ops executives, elected officials, employees and community leaders to mark the progress. Over the past year, Blue Ops has expanded its workforce, technology and infrastructure at the Valdosta facility to support U.S. production of its growing range of USVs and strengthen its presence in Georgia and the broader U.S. maritime industrial base.

“America has a long history of leading the world in shipbuilding and innovation, and we have an opportunity to lead again,” said Barry Hinckley, President of Blue Ops. “The next generation of naval power will look different. Smaller, smarter, autonomous systems produced rapidly and at scale will operate alongside our traditional fleet. In Valdosta, we’re bringing American boatbuilding, advanced manufacturing and modern technology together to help revitalize our maritime industrial base and strengthen our nation’s capabilities at sea.”

The celebration brought together Red Cat and Blue Ops executives, state and local officials, and members of the Valdosta-Lowndes County community. Government representatives attending and speaking at the event included Representative Austin Scott, Representative Rich McCormick, Georgia State Senator Russ Goodman, Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson, and Lowndes County Board of Commissioners Chairman Bill Slaughter.

Blue Ops also showcased its Variant 5 and Variant 7 USVs, giving guests an opportunity to tour the manufacturing floor and see how the vessels are built and integrated. The event also featured the christening of a Variant 7 before the vessel was lowered into the facility’s test pool.

Blue Ops Day was formally recognized through a statewide proclamation from the Governor’s Office and a joint proclamation from the City of Valdosta and Lowndes County. The proclamations highlighted Blue Ops’ investment in the region and its role in expanding U.S. maritime manufacturing capabilities.

As Red Cat’s maritime division, Blue Ops develops and manufactures a growing range of mission-adaptable USVs for U.S. and allied defense applications. The Valdosta facility complements the company’s headquarters and showroom in West Palm Beach, Florida, by bringing manufacturing, systems integration and testing capabilities together under one roof and supporting the transition from engineering and design improvements to production.

Blue Ops’ expansion in Valdosta extends Red Cat’s U.S. manufacturing footprint into the maritime sector while contributing to the domestic maritime industrial base through skilled manufacturing jobs and increased capacity to produce and deliver uncrewed systems for U.S. and allied forces.