HII to Open Romulus USV Production Hub in Louisiana
HII has unveiled a plan to establish a new assembly center in Louisiana to support the manufacture of its Romulus unmanned surface vessel (USV) family.
The facility will be established in partnership with local shipyard Breaux Brothers Enterprises and utilize space at its existing site in New Iberia.
Once operational, the line will construct vessels ranging from about 20 to 190 feet (6 to 58 meters).
Along with the announcement, the company introduced its High-Yield Production Robotics (HYPR), which integrates automated welding and material handling as well as digital quality systems into manufacturing activities.
HYPR is designed to enable simultaneous hull fabrication, increase output, and reduce build times while maintaining consistent quality across vessel classes.
HII plans the solution’s proof-of-concept demonstrations in 2026, with a full pilot program targeted for early 2027.
“HYPR applies next-generation industrial robotics to shipbuilding processes that have traditionally been labor-intensive and difficult to automate,” said Eric Chewning, executive vice president at HII.
“For ROMULUS, this means fewer labor hours per hull, greater schedule predictability, and a manufacturing model that can scale efficiently as volumes increase.”
HII’s Romulus Drone Ship
The Romulus USV is designed for missions including intelligence collection, mine countermeasures, and strike operations.
The platform spans 190 feet (58 meters) long and is fitted with HII’s proprietary Odyssey AI-enabled autonomy suite.
It has a speed of more than 25 knots (46 kilometers/29 miles per hour) and a range of up to 2,500 nautical miles (4,630 kilometers/2,880 miles).
A prototype of the drone ship is now under construction in Louisiana as the company moves toward higher-rate, standardized production.
In addition to Breaux, HII is working with local partners, including Incat Crowther, across vessel design and production.
“ROMULUS is engineered from the outset for scale,” said Andy Green, president of HII’s Mission Technologies division. “By pairing a purpose-built assembly line with automation … we are driving predictable production outcomes and lowering the cost.”
