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Navy to procure 30 robotic ships at an average cost of $40M per vessel. The announcement comes less than a week after the service established a Robotic and Autonomous Systems Warfighting Development Center that's expected to play a major role in shaping how the sea service fights with uncrewed platforms. September 30, 2026 The Navy intends to procure 30 medium unmanned surface vessels from three vendors at an average cost of $40 million per platform, the sea service announced this week, part of a broader effort to ramp up its arsenal of robotic capabilities. Galliano Marine Services, HII and Saronic Technologies were each awarded other transaction agreements to produce 10 MUSVs in the wake of "successful at sea testing," according to a press release from the Navy's direct reporting program manager for robotic and autonomous systems. Initial deliveries under the deals are slated to occur before the end of fiscal 2027. The companies' platforms were tested at sea to assess their "core capabilities," including "their ability to see and understand the surrounding maritime environment, how well the vessels navigate autonomously according to International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, and the vessel's ability to conduct a long-duration mission," officials wrote in the press release. The planned acquisition of the 30 robotic ships at a total cost of more than $1 billion will support Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle's "Hedge Strategy" that includes a major role for uncrewed systems and enabling technologies like AI. "MUSVs are an important part of the hedge strategy laid out in our U.S. Navy Fighting Instructions. They give commanders a Tailored Offset - additional capacity and capability that can be rapidly adapted to the threat, distributed across the battlespace, and placed at risk without placing Sailors at unnecessary risk," Caudle said in a statement. "Just as importantly, MUSVs give us a platform for rapidly integrating new sensors, weapons, and other mission payloads as technology and operational requirements change. This is about moving beyond experimentation and putting reliable, combat-relevant capability into the hands of our Sailors at the speed the Fleet requires." The press release noted that three other vendors - Leidos, PacMar Technologies and Sea Machines - will also receive $15 million awards under the previously established terms of their prototype other transaction agreements. Those companies will also be included in the maritime marketplace hosted on the Drones.mil website, which was launched to streamline the acquisition process for unmanned systems. The sea drone makers in the marketplace are eligible to receive follow-on production agreements "from authorized acquisition authorities" across the Defense Department, per the release. The announcement of the production OTA awards to Galliano Marine Services, HII and Saronic Technologies following "Phase I" at-sea testing came less than a week after the Navy released a call for solutions for a "Phase II" effort and also announced the establishment of a Robotic and Autonomous Systems Warfighting Development Center (RASWDC) at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek in Virginia that's expected to play a major role in shaping how the sea service fights with uncrewed systems.

HII wins U.S. Navy contract for 10 ROMULUS USVs, accelerating deployment of proven autonomous capability. Published on 09/30/2026 at 12:05 am EDT S&P Capital IQ HII was awarded a contract by the U.S. Navy to build 10 ROMULUS unmanned surface vessels (USVs) for the Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) program. The award marks a major advancement in the U.S. Navy?s transition from experimentation to fleet-scale deployment of trusted, operational autonomy across the maritime domain. The U.S. Navy?s selection underscores HII?s shipbuilding expertise and leadership in proven autonomous unmanned surface and underwater maritime systems to deliver reliable production at the speed and scale required for emerging unmanned fleet production and operations. In 2025, HII committed to securing the partners, production capacity, supplier network and infrastructure needed to move quickly from design and development to construction of ROMULUS USVs. That investment reflected HII?s continued support of the U.S. Navy?s unmanned maritime priorities and advancing the unmanned surface program with mature technology and a production-ready approach. By beginning work in 2025, HII positioned the ROMULUS program for accelerated delivery, reduced production risk and to provide the U.S. Navy with a scalable path to fielding autonomous unmanned surface capabilities at the pace the nation demands. HII, with its partners Applied Intuition, Greenroom Robotics and Rodi Marine, successfully completed the evaluation phase of the MUSV program. HII?s Odyssey ACS vessel capabilities were validated through a series of operationally representative test events, demonstrating performance, reliability and mission readiness. The U.S. Navy-monitored testing took place in the Gulf of America over a 13-day period and evaluated the system under demanding, real-world operating conditions. HII is working with Gulf Coast build partners including Breaux Brothers Enterprises, Halimar Shipyard and Bayou Metal Supply & Manufacturing in Louisiana to support ROMULUS production, and developed in partnership with Beier Integrated Systems and Incat Crowther. HII also recently announced a new 10,000-square-foot expansion to increase the capacity of HII?s existing 40,000-square-foot unmanned manufacturing production campus capacity to build, develop and integrate advanced unmanned and autonomous maritime systems for both the REMUS family of UUVs and ROMULUS USVs. The model allows major components and assemblies to be produced efficiently before final vessel integration, increasing throughput and creating a repeatable production architecture that can scale across the ROMULUS USV family. (C) S&P Capital IQ - 2026

HII expands unmanned production facility by 25% to meet growing global maritime demand. Sep. 22, 2026, 04:30 PM POCASSET, Mass., Sept. 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - HII (NYSE: HII), a global leader in autonomous and unmanned maritime systems, celebrated the expansion of its unmanned systems production campus in Pocasset, Massachusetts, underscoring growing global demand for autonomous maritime platforms and the company's continued investment in advanced unmanned maritime technology, New England's skilled workforce and the region's Blue Economy. The 10,000-square-foot expansion increases the capacity of HII's existing 40,000-square-foot manufacturing facility capacity to build, develop and integrate advanced unmanned and autonomous maritime systems, including the REMUS family of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) and ROMULUS unmanned surface vessels (USVs). The expanded facility adds production capacity for the U.S. Navy's Lionfish small unmanned undersea vehicle (SUUV), which is based on HII's commercial REMUS 300 platform and is currently in production. In July, the Navy awarded HII an option-year contract for continued Lionfish production. The facility will also support production of HII's REMUS 620 UUV. The expansion also advances the integration of HII's Odyssey Autonomous Control Solutions (ACS) software, which supports advanced maritime autonomous and unmanned operations. These capabilities include simulation and modeling designed to support increasingly complex missions across multiple domains and vehicle types as well as autonomy hardware to be installed on ROMULS USVs. HII celebrated the expansion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by U.S. Rep. Bill Keating, MA-09, highlighting the company's growing presence on Cape Cod and the region's role in maritime technology and advanced manufacturing. "Today's expansion reflects HII's continued investment in the people, technology and partnerships that have made us a leader in unmanned maritime capabilities and placed New England at the center for maritime innovation," said Duane Fotheringham, president of the Unmanned Systems group in HII's Mission Technologies division. "By bringing together advanced unmanned platforms, autonomy, integration, simulation and modeling capabilities, we are expanding our ability to deliver the maritime systems our customers need while continuing to create high-quality jobs here in Massachusetts." Keating has been a longtime supporter of HII's operations in Massachusetts and served as a keynote speaker at the 2014 grand opening of HII's unmanned production facility. "HII's continued growth on Cape Cod demonstrates how investments in advanced maritime technology can strengthen our national security while supporting good jobs and economic opportunity here in Massachusetts," Keating said. "I was proud to join HII for the opening of the Pocasset manufacturing facility, and it is exciting to see how the company's capabilities and workforce have continued to grow. The technologies being developed here strengthen the Blue Economy, support our maritime communities and help ensure the United States remains at the forefront of ocean innovation." HII currently employs approximately 300 people in Pocasset and has added 50 employees year to date in 2026, continuing a pattern of workforce growth in recent years. The expansion reflects the company's ongoing commitment to Cape Cod and New England as a center for maritime technology development, advanced manufacturing and highly skilled employment. HII's unmanned systems heritage on Cape Cod is closely connected to its longstanding technology development partnership with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). The collaboration has helped advance autonomous underwater technology and reflects the region's concentration of scientific research, engineering and maritime expertise. The technologies developed and produced in Pocasset support a broad range of missions. Beyond defense and national security applications, HII's unmanned and autonomous systems support ocean exploration, academic and scientific research, environmental monitoring and commercial maritime operations. REMUS UUVs provide autonomous undersea capabilities for missions ranging from oceanographic research and environmental monitoring to defense operations. HII's ROMULUS USV family extends autonomous capabilities to the surface domain, while Odyssey autonomy provides a foundation for increasingly integrated autonomous operations. Together with HII's advanced simulation and modeling capabilities, these technologies are designed to help customers plan, test and execute complex maritime autonomous and unmanned missions. The REMUS family of UUVs, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2026, has been field-proven in naval and maritime operations around the world. HII has delivered more than 750 REMUS vehicles to customers in more than 30 countries, including 14 NATO members. More than 90% of REMUS systems delivered over the past 25 years remain in active service today. The expanded Pocasset facility reinforces HII's commitment to developing advanced maritime capabilities in Massachusetts while investing in the workforce and communities that support them. HII is America's largest shipbuilder, delivering the world's most powerful ships and all-domain mission technologies, including unmanned systems, to U.S. and allied defense customers. HII is the largest producer of unmanned underwater vehicles for the U.S. Navy and the world. With a more than 140-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII builds and integrates defense capabilities extending from the core fleet to C6ISR, AI/ML, EW and synthetic training. Headquartered in Virginia, HII's workforce is 45,000 strong. For more information, visit: Markets Insider and Business Insider Editorial Teams were not involved in the creation of this post. Sponsored Financial Content