HII hosted a media briefing on Jan. 12 alongside the announcement that its Mission Technologies division has doubled the size of its unmanned systems facility in Portchester, England.

Duane Fotheringham, president of Mission Technologies’ Unmanned Systems group, and Nick Green, senior manager of international business development, briefed reporters and took questions.

Here’s a round‑up of the coverage to date:

• Breaking Defense quoted Fotheringham as saying the expansion reflects “both the U.S. military and our allied militaries investing a lot more in defense.” He added, “Certainly, this facility, this expansion in the U.K., is in part to support those efforts.” The story also noted Green’s comments that the site will support “the integration of our Odyssey autonomy and the development of our new ROMULUS USV fleet for the U.K. and nearby continental Europe.”
• UK Defence Journal reported that HII intends to undertake “a level of production in the U.K. where feasible, with a focus on ancillary systems and assembly‑level work rather than complete vehicle manufacture.” Green highlighted “launch and recovery systems for the 620, as well as basic level assembly of the 620 vehicles themselves,” emphasizing the growing importance of U.K. content for U.K. contracts.
• Naval News wrote that the Royal Navy is evolving into a “hybrid navy” and noted HII’s continued testing of REMUS 620 for torpedo‑tube launch and recovery. “While we’re in the U.K. this week, we are going to visit Babcock and look at their U.K. weapons handling facility so we can understand more how to integrate with U.K. platforms,” Fotheringham said. “Those efforts are moving along quickly. The capability is real. It’s in the water, it’s field‑tested, and it’s operational.”
• Navy Lookout reported that the Portchester expansion aligns with the Royal Navy’s long‑standing use of REMUS UUVs for mine countermeasures. “The MoD first acquired REMUS systems in 2001 and has since operated multiple variants, including REMUS 100, 300 and 600, primarily in the mine‑hunting role,” the outlet noted. “Notably, the first REMUS vehicles delivered to the U.K. more than two decades ago remain in active service, a reflection of both durability, modularity and open‑architecture design.”

The Portchester expansion strengthens HII’s presence in a key allied market and positions Mission Technologies to support growing global demand for unmanned systems and other defense technologies. For more information, read HII’s news release.