HII breaks ground on new facility for unmanned technologies
US-based shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) is building a new facility to produce and test unmanned naval technologies.
HII broke ground on the Unmanned Systems Center of Excellence at Hampton on 22 September.
The campus will include two buildings with digital manufacturing infrastructure, covering a total area of more than 157,000ft2 (14,600m2). The first 22,000ft2 building will be completed by the end of this 2020, followed by the main 135,000ft2 facility in Q4 2021.
The Unmanned Systems Center of Excellence will be reconfigurable for different production and systems integration projects and have precision machining capabilities, a surface finishing area and a dedicated welding space.
‘With [the] US Navy’s increasing demand for UUVs and USVs, we are committed to investing in and expanding our unmanned systems capabilities,’ said Andy Green, HII executive vice president and president of HII Technical Solutions. ‘Our new Unmanned Systems Center of Excellence will ensure we can continue to provide our customers with the most advanced autonomous systems across all class sizes.’
As part of our promise to deliver comprehensive coverage to our Defence Insight and Premium News subscribers, our curated defence news content provides the latest industry updates, contract awards and programme milestones.
More from Uncrewed Vehicles
-
Jammer resistant drone designs spark search for countermeasures
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has driven another stage of evolution for drones and the counter measures to defend against them.
-
L3Harris launches Amorphous software for control of uncrewed platforms
The new Amorphous software is a universal controller that would allow a single operator to control a swarm of “thousands” of uncrewed systems, from drones to underwater platforms.
-
ideaForge unveils new UAVs at Aero India 2025
India UAV supplier ideaForge has launched the Netra 5 and Switch V2 drones at Aero India 2025, boasting of enhanced endurance, AI-driven autonomy and improved operational capabilities.
-
Shaping the future of defence: What 2025 holds for the global drone market
The UAV market is experiencing unprecedented growth, with innovations in technology and battlefield applications driving demand across military sectors. From the battlefields of Ukraine to NATO exercises and beyond, drones are transforming how wars are fought and supported.
-
Maris-Tech confirms customers signing up for Jupiter Drones codec and AI-powered system
Launched at AUSA in October, the company’s multi-stream video codec is attempting to bring a new lease of life to drone technology through its AI accelerator.
-
AUSA 2024: Quantum-Systems targets big 2025 with UAS developments
Quantum-Systems has been upgrading its UAS family, with new versions of the Vector, Reliant and Twister drones set for release throughout 2025.