U.S. Sen. Jack Reed joined federal, state, local and military officials Tuesday to break ground on a new Army Aviation Readiness Center at Quonset Point, funded with $46 million he secured across two federal budget cycles.
The facility will house the Rhode Island Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment and five supporting companies. The 1-126th flies UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, including medical evacuation variants, used for troop transport, search and rescue, aeromedical evacuation and aerial firefighting.
At 75,000 square feet, the new center replaces 26,000 square feet of existing structures built in the 1940s that were never designed to house military units. The added space gives the battalion more room for mission planning and operations, allows Echo Company to co-locate with the battalion, and provides dedicated ground maintenance space so mechanics no longer compete for room and tools at the 56th Troop Command Armory.
The project was first funded at $30 million in the fiscal 2024 Military Construction/VA bill. As cost estimates rose, Reed secured an additional $16 million in fiscal 2025.
“This is an investment in our citizen soldiers — courageous men and women who serve our nation and carry out difficult and dangerous missions on our behalf,” said Reed, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “Our servicemembers deserve the best facilities, equipment, and training possible so they can do their jobs effectively and come home safely to their families.”
The building will be blast resistant under Anti-Terrorism Force Protection standards and built to FAA requirements given its location along an airstrip. All construction materials will be American-made under the Build America, Buy America Act, and Army regulations require the facility to be fully electric and meet LEED Silver standards.
Reed has directed more than $190 million to military facilities at Quonset over the past four years, including $46 million for the Rhode Island Air National Guard’s 143rd Airlift Wing headquarters, which opened last summer, and $60 million toward reconstruction of the main runway.
