Mission Software Engineer

Hanwha and HavocAI partner on USV development. Hanwha Defense USA (HDUSA), Hanwha Systems Co (HSC), and U.S.-based collaborative autonomy company HavocAI announced they will jointly develop 200-foot autonomous surface vessels (ASV). Hanwha is currently the only shipbuilder with an operational shipyard in the United States to enter into a joint agreement with an autonomous vessels company. Hanwha Philly Shipyard is under consideration to produce the 200-foot autonomous ASV. HavocAI recently closed a $85m funding round, publicly confirmed the sale of dozens of vessels to the U.S. Department of War, and successfully demonstrated their collaborative autonomy technology in GPS-denied environments to Ukrainian officials. "By forging a partnership between an allied defense company with advanced manufacturing scale in Hanwha with a software-first defense technology company in HavocAI, we will deliver state-of-the art ASVs at scale for American service members," said Hanwha Defense USA CEO Michael Coulter. "This agreement will not only deliver for the American warfighter but will create much-needed competition for the Department of War acquisition process." "The Department of War has sent a clear demand signal to the shipbuilding industry: we need more boats, faster, with more capabilities, for less money," said Paul Lwin, Co-founder and CEO of HavocAI. "Partnerships like this - pairing a leading-edge technology with an established global infrastructure - are exactly how we achieve that goal." Under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the companies will jointly develop these ASVs to include mass production planning, installation, proposal development, and technical domains. Production will be pursuant to the U.S. Government's Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops solicitation program. Last October, Hanwha and Havoc AI announced a strategic relationship following a joint technology demonstration from Hanwha Ocean's Geoje shipyard in Korea where Havoc AI conducted an autonomous force protection mission off the coast of Hawaii, with beyond-line-of-sight command and control from Geoje.

Hanwha and HavocAI team up to develop 200-foot autonomous warships for U.S. Navy. Hanwha Defense USA and maritime autonomy startup HavocAI have formalized a strategic partnership to jointly develop and potentially mass-produce 200-foot autonomous surface vessels for the U.S. Navy, a move that could reshape how the Pentagon buys and builds warships. The agreement pairs South Korea's largest shipbuilding group with a fast-growing U.S. software company, combining industrial scale with autonomous control systems at a time when U.S. naval shipbuilding capacity is under strain. According to the joint press release, Hanwha is "under consideration" to build the vessels at its Philly Shipyard in Pennsylvania, which it acquired in 2024 and is now the subject of a $5 billion expansion plan. The company is currently the only foreign shipbuilder operating a major U.S. yard positioned to enter the autonomous warship market. "By pairing Hanwha's manufacturing scale with HavocAI's software-first approach, we believe we can deliver autonomous surface vessels at the speed and volume the Department of War is demanding," said Hanwha Defense USA CEO Michael Coulter. "This partnership will also introduce much-needed competition into the naval acquisition process." The relationship dates back to October, when HavocAI demonstrated a beyond-line-of-sight force-protection mission off Hawaii, with command and control conducted remotely from Hanwha Ocean's shipyard in Geoje, South Korea - roughly 5,000 miles away. Founded in 2024 and headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, HavocAI has quickly become one of the Pentagon's most visible maritime autonomy startups. The company recently closed an $85 million funding round and has confirmed the sale of dozens of autonomous vessels to the Department of War. Its autonomy stack has also been demonstrated in GPS-denied environments, including briefings to Ukrainian officials, highlighting its relevance in contested electronic-warfare environments. "The Department of War has sent a clear demand signal: it needs more vessels, faster, with greater capability and at lower cost," said HavocAI co-founder and CEO Paul Lwin. "Partnerships like this are how the industrial base starts to respond." Under the memorandum of understanding, the two companies will collaborate on production planning, installation, technical integration, and proposal development. The effort will combine Hanwha Ocean's warship-building experience, Hanwha Systems' combat-management and platform-integration capabilities, and HavocAI's autonomy software to develop deployable platforms that could scale across defense and commercial markets. The timing aligns with broader policy shifts in Washington. Last April, President Trump signed an executive order titled Restoring America's Maritime Dominance, elevating ports and shipyards as national security priorities. South Korea has since earmarked $150 billion toward rebuilding U.S. shipbuilding capacity under what officials have described as a "Make American Shipbuilding Great Again" initiative. Hanwha has moved aggressively since acquiring the Philadelphia yard for $100 million in December 2024, pledging to increase output from fewer than two vessels per year to as many as 20. By August 2025, the company had secured the largest U.S. commercial shipbuilding order in two decades, including 10 product tankers and two LNG carriers. For the autonomous vessel market, the partnership represents a significant inflection point. While unmanned platforms have been widely discussed, few programs have combined proven autonomy software, demonstrated military use cases, and access to industrial-scale U.S. shipyard capacity. Initial production is expected to begin within two years.

SAIC, HavocAI partner to Link autonomous fleets with US Navy communications. Science Applications International (SAIC) and HavocAI are integrating SAIC's real-time communications network with HavocAI's autonomous maritime fleets to improve situational awareness for the US Navy. The project connects HavocAI's autonomy software, which coordinates dozens of unmanned vessels, to SAIC's Joint Range Extension (JRE) system for joint interoperability. JRE extends the reach of Link 16, the network used by the US and partner forces to exchange tactical data across air, land, and sea platforms. By leveraging Link 16, the integration will enable autonomous vessels, sensors, and command platforms to connect to US and allied military networks and simultaneously share information across services. Moreover, the initiative supports the US military's Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2), which aims to accelerate decision-making across all operational domains. "SAIC's JRE has been the backbone of advanced joint interoperability for two decades and this partnership to bring HavocAI's innovative autonomous platform into the fold will provide immediate operational value and drive the future of maritime operations for the US Navy," said Barbara Supplee, SAIC Executive Vice President of Navy Business Group. Upcoming demonstrations will involve HavocAI's autonomous vessels feeding real-time situational data to maritime operations centers, supporting the US Navy's effort to build a hybrid fleet that employs both crewed and uncrewed systems. Expanding maritime capabilities. The collaboration between SAIC and HavocAI builds on earlier projects supporting various military programs in the US. In October, Rhode Island-based HavocAI raised $85 million to scale production of its unmanned surface vessels and expand work with the US military and allied forces. Earlier this year, Lockheed Martin partnered with HavocAI to develop medium unmanned surface vehicles, combining Lockheed's weapons integration expertise with HavocAI's autonomous software systems. In 2024, Virginia-based SAIC signed a $120-million, five-year contract to support the US Navy Tactical Training Group Pacific. The agreement covers advanced tactical training to prepare sailors for deployments, combat operations, and joint exercises.