Huntington Ingalls Industries showcase new Proteus vessel
Huntington Ingalls Industries, Technical Solutions has debuted their Proteus USV. (Photo: Huntington Ingalls Industries)
Huntington Ingalls Industries has announced the debut of the Proteus unmanned surface vessel (USV) for testing and development of autonomous capabilities.
The 27ft Proteus USV was outfitted with Sea Machines Robotics’ SM300 autonomy system and completed a successful demonstration on 14 May.
For the demonstration, the Proteus was equipped with commercial perception sensors, including GPS; automatic identification system; depth transducer; radar and a camera enabling 360˚ field of view.
Huntington Ingalls deployed a separate 51ft dive boat during the demonstration to illustrate SM300 system’s off-the-shelf solution, including its obstacle avoidance capability and adherence to the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea.
The Proteus USV will enable Huntington Ingalls’ continued development of autonomous capabilities and sensor fusion to support the evolving needs of both government and commercial customers.
Huntington Ingalls announced its minority share investment in Sea Machines in July 2020.
Sea Machines’ SM300 system can be outfitted to ocean capable vessels to enable scalable autonomy, from remotely controlled to fully autonomous vessel operations.
According to Shephard Defence Insight, the vessel comprises a multi-mission vessel capable of being re-roled as a swimmer delivery vehicle to support the full spectrum of special operations.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
HMS Anson’s milestone stay in Australia cut short during AUKUS deployment
The Astute-class submarine’s visit to Australia was the first time maintenance activity on a UK Royal Navy nuclear submarine had been carried out in the country.
-
How Operation Epic Fury could reduce US readiness to face China
The offensive against Iran could impact training and maintenance cycles and accelerate the degradation of the US arsenal on top of depleting Washington’s stockpiles.
-
UK Royal Navy explores modular counter-drone capabilities for future hybrid fleet
The UK MoD is scoping out systems to counter the growing threat of uncrewed aerial systems, with a focus on low-cost modularity and speed to field.
-
US Pentagon claims to have severely damaged Iranian capabilities, promises to increase attacks
US military authorities claim to have sunk 20 Iranian vessels and destroyed Tehran’s Air Force, with the Pentagon making plans to send additional assets to the region.
-
Greece’s newly commissioned FDI frigate deployed to Cyprus
The recent naval modernisation efforts by the Hellenic Navy have been bolstered by the acquisition of advanced Naval Group frigates, the first of which was delivered in December 2025 and is now playing a crucial role in the latest Middle East conflict.