HII Expands Production of ROMULUS Uncrewed Vessels
American shipbuilder HII has announced an ambitious plan to construct four additional ROMULUS 151 uncrewed surface vessels at Breaux Brothers Enterprises in Louisiana. This initiative marks a significant transition from prototype development to full-scale production, complementing the vessel currently under construction. The ROMULUS program aims to enhance capabilities for the US Navy, Marine Corps, and allied forces.
Accelerating Uncrewed Maritime Capabilities
The ROMULUS program is designed as a modular family of AI-enabled uncrewed surface vessels, tailored to meet diverse operational needs. These vessels will support critical missions such as intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, mine countermeasures, strike operations, and the management of unmanned underwater and aerial vehicles. HII’s executive vice president, Andy Green, emphasized that the ROMULUS program signifies a transformative approach to delivering unmanned capabilities to the fleet. He stated, “The progress we are seeing today, including these initial production vessels, reinforces that we are on a disciplined path to deliver meaningful capability at speed and at scale.”
Central to this acceleration is HII’s High-Yield Production Robotics initiative, launched in March. This initiative aims to enhance the manufacturing process of uncrewed platforms by integrating industrial robotics and digital quality systems. The goal is to lower production costs, improve delivery timelines, and facilitate large-scale program execution. Green noted that the ROMULUS vessels were engineered for scalability from the beginning. By aligning design, autonomy, and manufacturing processes, HII is establishing a production model that ensures predictable outcomes and positions the company to meet the increasing demand for autonomous maritime capabilities.
