Learning from Ukraine, Taiwan Looks to Sea Drones to Counter China
to the initial phase of the sea drone program. A broader funding package is expected later this year, which could include integration plans for locally built drones like those by Thunder Tiger and Lungteh Shipbuilding, as well as prospective contributions from foreign defense firms such as Huntington Ingalls Industries.From a subsea and maritime industry perspective, Taiwan’s approach underscores the growing importance of dual-use innovation and localized manufacturing. Sea drones offer a particularly appealing strategic value: low signature, low cost, and high potential for disruption in contested
HII Delivers REMUS 620 UUVs to NOAA
Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced that its Mission Technologies division has built and delivered two REMUS 620 uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs) to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for enhanced high-resolution ocean floor mapping. The REMUS 620, introduced in November 2022, represents a major advancement in medium-class UUV technology, according to HII. It is designed to offer a comprehensive range of both above- and below-water capabilities, making it ideal for long-distance operations.“The rapid delivery of the REMUS 620 underscores HII’s
Sea Drone Warfare has Arrived, and the US is Floundering
budget.As part of the initiative, the Pentagon in January issued a solicitation for private companies to deliver small sea drones to the Navy, demanding production capacity of 120 vessels per year, with deployment beginning in April 2025.Duane Fotheringham, president of unmanned systems at Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), the largest U.S. military shipbuilder, acknowledged the Pentagon and Navy had shown their "intent" to accelerate the deployment of sea drones but he said the industry wanted to see long-term funding in the defense budget."We hear the demand signal … but we
Electric Boat Lays Keel for Submarine Tang (SSN 805)
tubes enable the submarine to deliver a variety of capabilities, including weapons, unmanned undersea vehicles, and other undersea payloads.General Dynamics Electric Boat is the prime contractor and lead design yard for the Virginia class and constructs the ships in a teaming arrangement with Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia
US Navy Demonstrates New LARS for Large UUVs
a land-based launch and recovery approach and a new solution for launching large UUVs from U.S. Navy amphibious ships. The demonstration included the Snakehead large displacement unmanned undersea vehicle (LDUUV) prototype, and the Pharos large launch and recovery vehicle (LLRV) designed by Huntington Ingalls Industries.Snakehead, a modular, reconfigurable, multi-mission LDUUV provides support of intelligence preparation of the operational environment missions.“We are very proud to have worked with talented Navy warfare centers (Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division in Florida and Division
New Tech Frontiers for Ocean Gliders
. A DeepEcho module - a blackbox that allows for easy integration of the WBT Mini, a miniaturised version of Kongsberg’s EK80 multibeam echosounder, into the gliders – was also developed.The Bioglider project was set up to apply these on to three commercially available gliders: a Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) SeaGlider, a Teledyne Slocum and an Alseamar SeaExplorer. A key part of this is software; the echosounder was developed to work horizontally, but gliders go up and down all the time.The Seaglider has been on two missions, one in May 2022, then again in October 2022, on the Polar
HII Taps BlueZone for REMUS AUV Services in Australia
Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), the U.S. naval shipbuilder and unmanned systems manufacturer, said Tuesday it had selected its Australian sales partner, BlueZone Group, as an authorized REMUS autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) service center. The Newcastle-based company will provide local support to REMUS AUVs for the Royal Australian Navy and other regional customers.HII and BlueZone Group will host an official agreement signing on May 10, 2022, during the Indo-Pacific International Maritime Exposition at the International Convention Centre in Sydney, Australia. “We’re excited
Virginia-Class Submarine Montana (SSN 794) Delivered to US Navy
America’s largest shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) on Friday delivered the newest Virginia-class fast-attack submarine to the U.S. Navy. Montana (SSN 794), which successfully completed sea trials last month, is the 10th Virginia-class submarine to be delivered by HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division and the 21st built as part of the teaming agreement with General Dynamics’ Electric Boat.“We continue to be proud of our partnership with the U.S. Navy in delivering the most advanced ships in the world to our warfighters,” said Jason Ward, Newport News
Virginia-class Submarine Montana Completes Initial Sea Trials
Fast attack submarine Montana (SSN 794) completed initial sea trials last week, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced. The Virginia-class submarine, built at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division, spent several days at sea last week to test the ship's systems and components.Testing included submerging the submarine for the first time and high-speed maneuvers while on the surface and submerged. HII teams will continue the testing program and will deliver the boat to the U.S. Navy later this year.“We are very proud to say the Montana and her crew performed exceptional,”
February 2025
