US Navy selects America’s biggest shipbuilder for 10 ROMULUS autonomous surface vessels

HII has secured a U.S. Navy contract to build 10 ROMULUS unmanned surface vessels (USVs) for the Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) program, marking a move toward larger-scale deployment of autonomous maritime systems. The contract follows HII’s completion of the MUSV program’s evaluation phase, during which its autonomy system underwent a series of operationally representative tests. The company says the award will let it move from development and testing toward producing a fleet of autonomous vessels. At the center of ROMULUS is HII’s Odyssey Autonomous Control Solutions (ACS), a modular autonomy system designed to allow unmanned vessels to navigate, manage onboard systems and payloads, and coordinate with other manned and unmanned platforms with limited human intervention. ROMULUS completes 420-nautical-mile test HII developed ROMULUS with partners Applied Intuition, Greenroom Robotics and Rodi Marine. During the MUSV evaluation, the system was tested in the Gulf of America over 13 days under operationally representative conditions monitored by the Navy. One of the most demanding tests was a long-endurance mission simulation covering 420 nautical miles. HII says the vessel’s autonomy system completed the simulated mission in 28 hours while meeting the established success criteria. The testing was intended to demonstrate the endurance and autonomous performance required for sustained maritime operations. Odyssey ACS provides the decision-making architecture behind these capabilities. Its open architecture is also designed to allow new sensors, command-and-control technologies, and artificial intelligence algorithms to be integrated as they become available. That modular approach is intended to keep ROMULUS adaptable as the Navy’s requirements and operating environments evolve. HII prepares for scaled production HII says it began preparing for ROMULUS production in 2025 by securing partners, suppliers, production capacity and infrastructure. The company is using a distributed production model that brings regional shipbuilders and manufacturing partners into the program. Gulf Coast partners including Breaux Brothers Enterprises, Halimar Shipyard and Bayou Metal Supply & Manufacturing in Louisiana are supporting production. ROMULUS was developed in partnership with Beier Integrated Systems and Incat Crowther. The company is also expanding its unmanned manufacturing facilities. HII recently announced a 10,000-square-foot expansion of its existing 40,000-square-foot unmanned manufacturing production campus, which supports the development and integration of its REMUS unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) and ROMULUS USVs. The production model is designed to allow major components and assemblies to be manufactured before final vessel integration. HII says this could increase production throughput and establish a repeatable process for building ROMULUS vessels as demand grows. From autonomous testing to fleet operations ROMULUS builds on HII’s existing experience with unmanned maritime systems. The company says it has delivered more than 750 REMUS UUVs to customers in more than 30 countries. The company describes Odyssey ACS as the common autonomy foundation connecting its unmanned surface and underwater systems. Its capabilities include perception, navigation, onboard system management, payload control, and coordination between autonomous platforms.With the new Navy contract, HII will now build 10 ROMULUS vessels for the MUSV program. The award represents the next stage of the company’s effort to translate its tested autonomous systems into a production-scale unmanned surface fleet. Get the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Kaif Shaikh is a journalist and writer passionate about turning complex information into clear, impactful stories. His writing covers technology, sustainability, geopolitics, and occasionally fiction. A graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, his work has appeared in the Times of India and beyond. After a near-fatal experience, Kaif began seeing both stories and silences differently. Outside work, he juggles far too many projects and passions, but always makes time to read, reflect, and hold onto the thread of wonder.