MCLEAN, Va., July 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HII (NYSE:HII), America’s largest military shipbuilder and a global leader in autonomous maritime systems, announced today that Halimar Shipyard of Morgan City, Louisiana, has joined the company’s growing network of strategic industrial partners supporting serial production of HII’s ROMULUS unmanned surface vessel (USV) family.

With extensive experience in commercial and government vessel construction, Halimar brings a highly skilled workforce, modern facilities, and proven production processes that will directly support full-rate manufacturing of the ROMULUS 151 platform.

Under the partnership, Halimar will construct complete ROMULUS 151 vessels and support serial production in collaboration with Breaux Brothers Enterprises in Louisiana, where five ROMULUS 151 vessels are currently under construction.

The partnership will help accelerate production schedules, expand capacity, and support growing demand from the U.S. Navy and allied maritime forces for autonomous unmanned maritime capabilities.

"Our partnership with Halimar Shipyard represents another important step in building the industrial capacity needed to deliver autonomous maritime capability at scale," said Andy Green, executive vice president of HII and president of HII’s Mission Technologies division. "Halimar’s proven shipbuilding expertise, skilled workforce, and strategic Gulf Coast location strengthen our ability to accelerate production, improve supply chain resilience, and provide affordable, mission-ready autonomous systems."

Halimar

A photo accompanying this release is available at: https://www.hii.com/news/hii-adds-halimar-shipyard-to-romulus-usv-production-network

"We are proud to partner with HII on the ROMULUS program and contribute to the future of autonomous maritime operations," said William Hidalgo Jr, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Halimar Shipyard. "Our team has decades of experience building high-quality vessels, and we look forward to applying that expertise to help deliver reliable, scalable production capacity that supports evolving mission needs."

The addition of Halimar Shipyard provides several key advantages to the ROMULUS production team:

Scalable Manufacturing Capacity

Halimar’s facilities provide an established and expandable production foundation capable of producing complete ROMULUS 151 vessels while increasing output as unmanned surface vessel demand grows.

Long-Term Strategic Partnership

As a core member of the ROMULUS production team, Halimar is collaborating closely on vessel construction, manufacturing integration, and production readiness to support delivery of an affordable, reliable, and producible autonomous maritime solution.

Distributed Shipbuilding Model

Expanding HII’s Gulf Coast manufacturing footprint strengthens supply chain resilience, increases surge capacity, and supports efficient execution of the ROMULUS production schedule through multiple production locations.

The partnership with Halimar Shipyard expands HII’s distributed manufacturing, which brings together specialized shipbuilders, fabricators, designers, and technology providers to accelerate delivery of autonomous maritime capability at scale.

Working with Halimar, Breaux Brothers Enterprises, Bayou Metals, and additional strategic partners, HII is reducing lead times, streamlining fabrication, and advancing major assembly work ahead of final integration. This approach enhances throughput, supports consistent, repeatable production, and enables efficient serial delivery of ROMULUS vessels across multiple shipyards.

The ROMULUS program also benefits from the expertise of internationally recognized design and engineering partners such as Sydney-based Incat Crowther. The integration of Incat Crowther into the ROMULUS initiative exemplifies how trusted international partners strengthen the global defense ecosystem through high-performance vessel design, engineering agility, and regional expertise. Their contributions help ensure that ROMULUS platforms combine advanced operational capability with manufacturability, scalability, and lifecycle efficiency.

Collectively, these efforts strengthen the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base by expanding regional manufacturing capacity, creating new opportunities to grow and sustain a skilled workforce, and establishing a resilient production network capable of supporting future autonomous fleet requirements.

ROMULUS USV: Built for Scale and Mission Flexibility

ROMULUS is a modular family of AI-enabled unmanned surface vessels designed to support a broad range of missions, including intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR); mine countermeasures; strike operations; counter-unmanned systems; and the launch and recovery of unmanned underwater and aerial vehicles.

Engineered for serial, repeatable production, ROMULUS combines endurance, global reach, and modular adaptability. The platform’s common manufacturing architecture and autonomy baseline enable scalability across multiple vessel sizes while reducing production complexity and accelerating fleet fielding. Supported by a growing network of production partners across the Gulf Coast and beyond, ROMULUS is designed not only as a highly capable autonomous platform, but as a scalable maritime manufacturing program capable of delivering operational capability at the pace required by modern naval forces.

About HII

HII is America’s largest shipbuilder, delivering the world’s most powerful ships and all-domain mission technologies, including unmanned systems, to U.S. and allied defense customers. HII is the largest producer of unmanned underwater vehicles for the U.S. Navy and the world.

With a more than 140-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII builds and integrates defense capabilities extending from the core fleet to C6ISR, AI/ML, EW and synthetic training. Headquartered in Virginia, HII’s workforce is 44,000 strong. For more information, visit:

HII on the web: https://www.HII.com/
HII on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeamHII
HII on X: https://www.twitter.com/WeAreHII
HII on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/WeAreHII
HII on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearehii

Contact:

Greg McCarthy

(202) 264-7126

gregory.j.mccarthy@hii-co.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e401d3d8-d78e-45da-82b6-09ed383fb21e