Photo caption: Sailors man the rails on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) while transiting Coronado Bay, March 26, 2025. Nimitz is underway conducting routine operations in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operations, highlighting the ship’s historic 50-year legacy of forward presence and operational excellence. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Carson Croom)

Download the pdf

March 28, 2025

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.

REMUS UUVs Participate In Submarine Deployment: Inside Defense reported on Wednesday that Virginia-class submarine Delaware (SSN 791) is currently deployed to U.S. European Command with an HII-made REMUS 600 uncrewed underwater vehicle. Submarine Forces Commander Vice Adm. Robert Gaucher said the REMUS UUV operated in a Norwegian fjord where it was tested and evaluated. The Navy is now prepping a variety of UUVs for deployment in the next year and has implemented a “confidence course” to test-run the vehicles. HII announced in February that its REMUS 620 had completed the Navy confidence course in Bangor, Washington. The test and evaluations come as the Navy plans to bring REMUS UUVs on board several boats in the Pacific. Meanwhile, Defense Post reported on Wednesday that HII has sold more than 700 REMUS UUVs to customers in more than 30 countries. The U.S. Navy has deployed REMUS in key waterways such as the Persian Gulf, the Baltic Sea, and the Black Sea. NATO allies have used the vehicles in joint exercises across the Mediterranean, the North Sea, and the Arctic.

HII To Develop High-Energy Laser Weapon For U.S. Army: Breaking Defense reported on Tuesday that HII’s Mission Technologies division has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office to develop a high-energy laser weapon system. The system is designed to detect, track, and destroy small- to medium-sized unmanned aircraft and will support both fixed-site defense and integration onto Army vehicles. Military Embedded Systems reported on Tuesday that the prototype will follow a Modular Open Systems Approach, allowing for future upgrades, subsystem competition, and software interchangeability. The Army awarded the contract through an Other Transaction Agreement, though financial details were not disclosed. Defense Daily reported if successful, the technology is expected to transition to the Army’s Program Executive Office for Missiles and Space, potentially leading to low-rate initial production. The effort aligns with the Army’s push to advance directed energy technology to unmanned aircraft systems operations in multi-domain environments.

Electric Boat Wins $1.1 Billion Submarine Contract: The Hartford Business Journal reported on Wednesday that General Dynamics Electric Boat has been awarded a $1.1 billion contract modification to purchase long lead time materials for Virginia-class Block VI submarines. Marine Link reported on Wednesday that Electric Boat is the prime contractor and lead design yard for the Virginia class and constructs them in a teaming arrangement with HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division. Mark Rayha, president of General Dynamics Electric Boat, said the “contract modification drives continuation of the crucial demand signal that the submarine industrial base needs to invest in the capacity and materials required to increase production volume.” Consistent funding helps achieve high rates of production that the Navy requires, he said. Defense Daily reported on Wednesday that the Block VI boats are being procured in a multiyear contract that lasts from FY 2024 to 2028, after the 10 Block V hull order ended in FY 2023. Both Block V and Block VI will feature the Virginia Payload Module (VPM) that adds four large diameter payload tubes in the middle section, making each submarine capable of fielding up to 28 Tomahawk missiles.

ACIBC Chair Warns Of Chilled Supplier Production Lines: Inside Defense reported on Wednesday that Aircraft Carrier Industrial Base Coalition Chairwoman Lisa Papini warned members of Congress that lawmakers should tighten aircraft carrier build intervals to ensure suppliers have enough work to remain open. Members of the industrial base were on Capitol Hill this week asking for $600 million in advanced procurement funding for the fifth Gerald R. Ford-class carrier (CVN-82) in fiscal year 2026, and for contract awards to be granted no later than FY 2029. Their requests come as the build intervals between aircraft carriers have reached the longest they have ever been, according to Papini. ACIBC represents over 2,000 businesses across 44 states, all invested in aircraft carrier production. Last year, Papini warned if CVN-82 production starts in 2030 rather than two years earlier, nearly half of those suppliers will stop continuous production, or have a cold production line. ACIBC members noted this year that 73% of advance procurement supply lines will go cold in 2026, and 96% of suppliers will likely go cold by 2028 if the current rate of production continues. Defense One reported on Wednesday that Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said Congress should fund industry efforts to train and attract workers, noting ongoing talks with the White House’s Office of Management and Budget to do just that.

Boeing’s $50 Billion Stealth Fighter Win Comes At A Crucial Time: The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that the Pentagon’s decision to select Boeing to build the Air Force’s next-generation manned jet fighter last Friday came at a critical time for the company. Not only did Boeing lock down a contract that could top $50 billion, the deal also is structured to guarantee a profit through the development stage of the project. Boeing’s defense business represents around one-third of the company’s revenue but has lost billions of dollars over the past several years, while Boeing says it has been locked into money-losing Pentagon contracts. DefenseScoop reported on March 21 that Boeing has bet billions of dollars in standing up advanced manufacturing facilities at its fighter production hub in St. Louis, Missouri, where the legacy F/A-18 Super Hornet line is expected to end in 2027. The sixth-generation fighter jet, known as the F-47, is intended to replace the F-22 Raptor and is envisioned as a long-range crewed aircraft equipped with advanced sensors and weapons payloads designed to operate in highly contested environments in the Indo-Pacific.

HII’s Weekly News Digest is produced by HII’s Corporate Communications team and posted to Homeport every Friday.

Please note: Social media is blocked on HII computers for most employees. Employees are encouraged to visit HII’s Facebook page and other social media sites on personal time and from non-work devices.

Send feedback to: HII_Communications@hii-co.com.