Halimar brings experience in commercial and government vessel construction, along with a skilled workforce, modern facilities and established production processes. HII said these capabilities will directly support full-rate manufacturing of the ROMULUS 151.
Under the partnership, Halimar will build complete ROMULUS 151 vessels and support serial production with Breaux Brothers Enterprises in Louisiana. Five ROMULUS 151 vessels are currently under construction at Breaux Brothers Enterprises.
HII said the addition of Halimar will help accelerate production schedules and expand manufacturing capacity. The company said the partnership also supports growing demand from the U.S. Navy and allied maritime forces for autonomous unmanned maritime capabilities.
“Our partnership with Halimar Shipyard represents another important step in building the industrial capacity needed to deliver autonomous maritime capability at scale,” said Andy Green, executive vice president of HII and president of HII’s Mission Technologies division. “Halimar’s proven shipbuilding expertise, skilled workforce, and strategic Gulf Coast location strengthen our ability to accelerate production, improve supply chain resilience, and provide affordable, mission-ready autonomous systems.”
“We are proud to partner with HII on the ROMULUS program and contribute to the future of autonomous maritime operations,” said William Hidalgo Jr, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Halimar Shipyard. “Our team has decades of experience building high-quality vessels, and we look forward to applying that expertise to help deliver reliable, scalable production capacity that supports evolving mission needs.”
HII said Halimar’s facilities provide an established and expandable production base for complete ROMULUS 151 vessels. The company said the site can increase output as demand for unmanned surface vessels grows.
As a core member of the ROMULUS production team, Halimar will work on vessel construction, manufacturing integration and production readiness. HII said the goal is to support delivery of an affordable, reliable and producible autonomous maritime solution.
The partnership expands HII’s Gulf Coast manufacturing footprint and supports a distributed shipbuilding model. HII said multiple production locations will strengthen supply chain resilience, increase surge capacity and support efficient execution of the ROMULUS production schedule.
HII said its distributed manufacturing approach brings together specialized shipbuilders, fabricators, designers and technology providers. The company said this model is intended to accelerate delivery of autonomous maritime capability at scale.
Working with Halimar, Breaux Brothers Enterprises, Bayou Metals and other strategic partners, HII said it is reducing lead times and streamlining fabrication. The company said it is also advancing major assembly work ahead of final integration to support repeatable serial delivery of ROMULUS vessels across multiple shipyards.
The ROMULUS program also includes support from design and engineering partners such as Sydney-based Incat Crowther. HII said Incat Crowther’s role brings high-performance vessel design, engineering agility and regional expertise to the program.
HII said these efforts strengthen the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base by expanding regional manufacturing capacity. The company said the production network also creates opportunities to grow and sustain a skilled workforce and support future autonomous fleet requirements.
ROMULUS is a modular family of AI-enabled unmanned surface vessels designed for missions including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, mine countermeasures, strike operations and counter-unmanned systems. The vessels are also designed to support the launch and recovery of unmanned underwater and aerial vehicles.
The platform is engineered for serial, repeatable production and combines endurance, global reach and modular adaptability. HII said its common manufacturing architecture and autonomy baseline enable scalability across multiple vessel sizes while reducing production complexity and accelerating fleet fielding.
Supported by a growing network of production partners across the Gulf Coast and beyond, ROMULUS is designed as both an autonomous platform and a scalable maritime manufacturing program. HII said the program is intended to deliver operational capability at the pace required by modern naval forces.
