HII reports 30% construction completion of ROMULUS unmanned surface vessel prototype

During a visit to the site, HII executives toured the shipyard alongside partners Breaux Brothers and Incat Crowther. They reviewed progress on hull construction, integration of HII’s Odyssey Autonomous Control System and ongoing outfitting work.

“ROMULUS is progressing at a pace that reflects the urgency of the mission and the strength of our partnerships,” said Andy Green, president of HII’s Mission Technologies division. “Breaux Brothers and our industry team are delivering a platform that brings scale, autonomy and real operational advantage to the fleet. At 30% complete, the ROMULUS prototype is well on its way to becoming the benchmark for unmanned surface capability.”

ROMULUS USVs are designed to meet current and emerging requirements of the US Navy, US Marine Corps, joint forces and allied partners. The vessels are intended to deliver high-endurance, sustained open-ocean autonomy with a focus on lethality, cost efficiency and scalability.

The ROMULUS family is planned to support missions including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, counter-unmanned air systems, mine countermeasures, strike operations, and the launch and recovery of unmanned underwater and aerial vehicles. When paired with HII’s REMUS unmanned underwater vehicles, ROMULUS is intended to extend undersea reach and support distributed maritime operations.

The prototype is the first in HII’s modular, AI-enabled ROMULUS line, engineered for rapid, repeatable production and high endurance at sea. With speeds exceeding 25 knots and a range of 2,500 nautical miles, the vessels are designed for mission flexibility across global theatres.

ROMULUS is built around HII’s Odyssey autonomy suite, which is already used across more than 35 USV platforms and over 750 REMUS UUVs in 30 countries. The platform will also integrate capabilities from Shield AI, Applied Intuition and C3 AI, supported by HII’s Dark Sea Labs Advanced Technology Group, as the company moves toward operational deployment of the AI-enabled fleet.