A major shipbuilder is expanding its push into autonomous naval technologies, partnering with an artificial intelligence firm to develop a 200-foot (70-meter) autonomous surface vessel (ASV) for the US military.
The initiative brings together Hanwha Systems, Hanwha Defense USA, and HavocAI, combining large-scale shipbuilding capabilities with advanced autonomy software designed to operate in contested and denied environments. The vessel is intended to conduct a variety of military missions without an onboard crew.
The collaboration positions Hanwha as the only shipbuilder operating an active US shipyard to formally align with an autonomous vessel developer. Hanwha’s Philly Shipyard is being evaluated as the primary production site for the large ASV.
HavocAI will provide the vessel’s autonomy stack, leveraging technology already delivered to the US Department of Defense and validated in GPS-denied operational conditions. The partnership also includes planning for scalable production, system integration, and long-term sustainment and technical support.
