Photo caption: A U.S. Sailor, assigned to the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, signals to the pilots of an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter on the flight deck of Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) while underway in the Caribbean Sea, March 10, 2026. Iwo Jima was built by HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division. (U.S. Navy photo)
April 24, 2026
HII’s Weekly News Digest is compiled every Friday by the Corporate Communications team to summarize and highlight news stories of significance to the company.
HII Forms HYPR Program To Bring Physical AI To Shipbuilding: Inside Defense reported on Monday that HII has announced a new agreement that will integrate physical artificial intelligence into shipbuilding. During the U.S. Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space Expo 2026, HII along with Path Robotics and GrayMatter Robotics, introduced the High-Yield Production Robotics (HYPR) program that seeks to leverage a network of emerging physical AI technologies to rapidly accelerate advanced, adaptive automation solutions in the fabrication process of naval platforms. Seapower reported on Tuesday that HII had previously signed a memorandum of understanding with GrayMatter Robotics in April to explore integrating GMR’s physical AI into shipbuilding operations, including for surface preparation, coating and inspection. HII also signed an MOU with Ohio-based Path Robotics in February to incorporate physical AI for welding. The companies will now collaborate and participate in the production flow, said Eric Chewning, HII executive vice president of maritime systems and corporate strategies. Once the technology is certified, it will be incrementally deployed throughout HII, Chewning told Inside Defense. A robotic cell at GrayMatter is scheduled to be deployed at HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division later in the year.
ROMULUS USV Future Uses Take Shape: ExecutiveBiz reported on Wednesday that HII has unveiled plans to build four ROMULUS 151 unmanned surface vessels, expanding work already underway at the Breaux Brothers assembly site in Louisiana. ROMULUS is a modular line of USVs, equipped with artificial intelligence to support missions such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, mine countermeasures, strike operations and counter-unmanned systems, while also enabling aerial and underwater drone deployment and recovery. Its scalable design supports repeatable production and offers endurance, global reach and adaptability across multiple vessel sizes. Meanwhile, Inside Defense reported on Tuesday that HII and Applied Intuition are partnering to integrate artificial intelligence capabilities into naval platforms through an operating system known as Warship OS. Specifically, Applied Intuition will supply Warship OS for both unmanned and manned platforms, including HII’s ROMULUS family of USVs. The UK Defence Journal reported on Tuesday that ROMULUS may also have a role in the United Kingdom’s ARMOR Force concept as an unmanned element working alongside the U.K. Navy’s Type 31 frigates.
HII Leans Into Distributed Shipbuilding Model: The Maritime Executive reported on Tuesday that HII is outsourcing an increasing amount of its work to partner companies in a distributed shipbuilding construction model. At this point, HII is buying blocks and components from 25 sites across 11 states, underwriting about 1,000 jobs and 2.5 million man-hours of labor. Complete hull units and modules are being built at other locations, under HII supervision, then moved to the shipbuilder’s yards in Newport News, Virginia, and Pascagoula, Mississippi. It has also “insourced” some of this work by buying and repurposing the W International plant in Charleston, South Carolina, giving it access to a large fabrication facility and a new regional labor pool. Through distributed shipbuilding and other efforts, HII increased shipbuilding throughput 14% in 2025 and is targeting similar gains in 2026, in support of construction schedules, according to an HII announcement.
| Social Media Highlight Of The Week
Posted Thursday on HII’s Facebook page:
“Is it cake? 🍰🤔 At Sea Air Space 2026 this week, HII celebrated the 25th anniversary of the REMUS unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) family. This meaningful milestone marks a quarter century of innovation, reliability and mission versatility that has made REMUS the world’s leading autonomous underwater vehicle platform. And what’s a celebration without cake? The event featured an amazing life size REMUS cake, a creative nod to the engineering precision and dedication that have defined the program for a quarter century. Here is to the next era of undersea excellence and to the people bringing it to life! 👏 Read more at HII.com. Navy League of the United States #SeaAirSpace2026 #SAS2026” |
Navy Plans To Spend More Than $17 Billion On First Trump-Class Battleship: DefenseScoop reported on Tuesday that newly released budget documents show the Navy spending in excess of $17 billion on the lead vessel of the Trump-class battleships. The service’s spending plan includes $1 billion in advanced procurement funding requested for the program in fiscal 2027 and $16.47 billion in net procurement funding for fiscal year 2028, when the service plans to buy the first platform. The gross weapon system cost for the lead ship is estimated at $17.47 billion. USNI News reported on Tuesday that the service currently projects buying the second ship in fiscal year 2030, when it will seek $13 billion, and the third ship in fiscal year 2031, when it will ask Congress for $11.5 billion, Navy Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget Rear Adm. Ben Reynolds said.
Hung Cao Named Acting Navy Secretary: The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that Hung Cao is now serving as acting Navy secretary after Navy Secretary John Phelan left his role “effective immediately.” The Associated Press reported Wednesday that, just this week, Phelan had addressed a large crowd of sailors and industry professionals on Tuesday at the Navy’s annual conference in Maryland and spoke with reporters about his agenda. He also hosted the leaders of the House Armed Services Committee to discuss the Navy’s budget request and efforts to build more ships. A reason for his departure was not announced. Taking over as acting secretary is Cao, who unsuccessfully campaigned to try to unseat Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine in 2024. He had Trump’s endorsement in the crowded Republican primary and gave a speech at the 2024 Republican National Convention. Cao graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia, before attending the U.S. Naval Academy. He was commissioned as a special operations officer and went on to serve with SEAL teams and special forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia before retiring at the rank of captain, according to his Senate campaign biography. GovCon Wire reported on Wednesday that Cao previously worked as a vice president and client executive at CACI International, where he supported efforts in areas such as electronic warfare, counter-drone technology and enterprise IT.
HII’s Weekly News Digest is produced by HII’s Corporate Communications team and posted to Homeport every Friday.
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