UNITED STATES OF AMERICA —The U.S. Navy has selected HII to construct 10 ROMULUS unmanned surface vessels under the Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel initiative, signaling a major operational shift toward deploying autonomous maritime technology at scale. Powered by the Odyssey Autonomous Control Solutions suite, the craft enable coordinated surface and undersea operations with minimal human intervention. The multi-vehicle order follows a 13-day evaluation process in the Gulf of Mexico, where the autonomy architecture completed a continuous 420-nautical-mile simulation over 28 hours.
HII is a major U.S. defense contractor and the nation's largest military shipbuilder, specializing in naval vessel construction, uncrewed maritime systems, nuclear services, and defense technologies. Based in McLean, Virginia, Mission Technologies serves as the primary division executing the company's autonomous systems and advanced technological solutions.
This procurement transitions the military's uncrewed strategy from experimental testing to fleet-level operational integration. By securing modular, open-architecture autonomy software, the fleet ensures long-term adaptiveness to emerging artificial intelligence algorithms, combat management tools, and specialized sensor payloads without requiring complete system redesigns.
The program relies on a distributed manufacturing model across the U.S. Gulf Coast, engaging regional shipyards and suppliers to assemble subcomponents before final integration. This industrial approach mitigates production bottlenecks, expands defense manufacturing capacity, and accelerates the delivery timeline for autonomous maritime hardware.
For defense contractors and supply chain partners, the development creates steady demand across regional manufacturing ecosystems while reinforcing investments in autonomous control platforms. Shipbuilders and technology vendors integrating modular hardware into naval programs stand to capture expanded opportunities as defense forces prioritize scalable uncrewed platforms.
