BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (Tribune News Service) — Years after Bridgeport played a critical role in the country’s defense industry, a proposed drone factory in the East End will involve the city in 21st-century warfare.
But while some are welcoming the economic news, others are wary of hosting the production of the equipment. Earlier this year members of Bridgeport’s City Council rejected a proposal to equip the police department with high-tech drones over public opposition.
Recently, Quantum Cyber N.V., a Florida based defense technology company, announced that its subsidiary, Quantum Drones Corporation, signed a letter of intent to acquire Arcade Technology, a long-time metal stamping company and its 42,885 square foot building at 38 Union Avenue. The price is $3.2 million.
According to Quantum, the 78-year old Arcade has several types of industrial manufacturing equipment that can support in-house production of combat-ready drone airframe components.
The company credited an executive order from President Donald Trump to establish American drone dominance as a national security industrial priority and accelerate domestic production. Quantum noted the fiscal 2027 U.S. Department of Defense budget request designates about $55 billion towards that effort.
“We are aiming to build the production infrastructure to manufacture autonomous defense systems at the scale the Pentagon and our government customers require,” Quantum Cyber CEO David Lazar said in a statement accompanying the news of the Bridgeport sale.
“Once established, a U.S.-based facility with installed industrial equipment, under our control and operated by our team, will be how we convert our technology licensing and patent position into delivered hardware. We believe this is the next phase of Quantum Cyber’s evolution, and we are moving with urgency.”
Quantum Cyber, previously known as Mainz Biomed N.V., announced earlier this year a shift from a molecular genetics diagnostic company specializing in the early detection of cancer toward quantum computing and cybersecurity.
Meanwhile Arcade’s metal stamping business is still going to be operational for its existing customers along with the drone production, explained that company’s co-owner William Rhone.
“So we produce metal parts and we machine metal, so all that goes into drones,” Rhone said. “There’s a bunch of other equipment that needs to be brought in but all our people are going to stay. Our business is going to run as usual and we’re just going to add another business and more people, probably more shifts.”
It was not immediately clear how many new employees will be brought on or how much of the existing Arcade employees will shift to drone production. Quantum Cyber could not be reached for comment
“I think it’s a pretty good deal because I think that’s the way of the future, what they’re trying to do,” Rhone said. “It’s going to keep the business and everything going around for a while.”
Some city officials and activists offered mixed reactions to the news of having a drone factory established in the East End. In January members of the all-Democrat City Council rejected a plan to equip the Bridgeport police force with drones in the face of community opposition, though the effort is likely to be revived.
City Councilwoman Eneida Martinez, who helps represent that neighborhood, wants Quantum representatives to meet with members of the local Neighborhood Revitalization Zone. The city has several such NRZs around town that weigh in on economic development.
Martinez said the community needs to know what exactly is coming to their district and if the factory is offering residents employment. She emphasized she is not a fan of drones.
“Nowadays in the world we don’t know where these drones are going, who they’re being sold to, who’s watching people’s lives,’ Martinez said. “The world is upside down right now.”
Keith Williams, head of the East End NRZ, agreed that the company should let the community know of its plans and if they can hire locally. However Williams does not feel strongly about hosting drone production.
“There’s cameras and stuff like that everywhere,” he said. “At least when you see a drone you know what it is.”
Gemeem Davis helps run the Bridgeport Generation Now civic group and earlier this year opposed the police drone proposal.
“We absolutely do not want drone manufacturing,” Davis said. “The people of Bridgeport do not want to be a part of Trump’s militarization of our cities, the country. ... Our community does not value war (and) this is not economic development.”
Bridgeport Regional Business Council President Dan Onofrio acknowledged that while drones can be controversial, the technology is “not going anywhere” and he is glad to see the city’s manufacturing landscape continually evolve.
“It seems like a good alignment with our legacy, but also our future,” Onofrio said.“It’s an investment in Bridgeport no matter how you slice and dice it,” he continued. “It’s a good thing for Bridgeport and the region.”
Bridgeport in the past has had close ties to the defense industry.
Remington Woods, a 422 acre forest in Bridgeport and Stratford, was used for decades as a testing ground for munitions developed by the Union Metallic Cartridge Company and then Remington Arms before Remington closed its last manufacturing facility in Bridgeport in 1986. Much of that East Side campus, aside from the landmark tower, has been demolished with the city currently reviewing redevelopment proposals.
Connecticut in general has always been a hot spot for defense contracting with a long history of having defense related industries including General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Pratt & Whitney in East Hartford and Sikorsky in Stratford. This proposed acquisition would be great for the city and state including many new jobs, University of New Haven Professor of Criminal Justice and a former FBI special agent Kenneth Gray said.
“What’s really important about this is the fact that the United States started the drone manufacturing business but it went small with that. That is that they are not producing large scale numbers of drones. But the Ukraine War has shown how important it is to have drones as part of our capability for our military and so Bridgeport is starting to produce drones if this letter of intent goes through,” Gray said. “If they start acquiring this business here and start manufacturing drones, this is a very important next step towards our defense.”
Also noting the Iran conflict, Gray said the face of aviation in warfare seems to be changing with much more of a move towards drone use. Gray helped start a homeland security major at UNH.
According to a new U.S. Government Accountability Office report, recent conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East demonstrate that robotic and autonomous systems are “disrupting naval warfare and challenging traditional naval superiority.”
The U.S. Navy plans to spend billions of dollars to research and develop technologies for robotic and autonomous systems.
“This is a chance for Connecticut to get out over to the cutting edge of this new technology. Instead of looking towards like a Lockheed Martin, instead this could very easily be the next Lockheed Martin type industry here in the state,” Gray said. “Bridgeport is well positioned there along the coastline. There’s a port there. Because of its location and because of the available facilities, this hopefully will be the first of many such businesses moving in here for defense related purposes but I think that this definitely is very interesting.”
Reporter Brian Lockhart contributed to the story.
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