Hanwha Defense USA, Hanwha Systems, and HavocAI partner to develop 200-Foot Autonomous Surface Vessels

Hanwha Defense USA (HDUSA), Hanwha Systems Co (HSC), and U.S.‑based autonomy company HavocAI announced a partnership to jointly develop 200‑foot autonomous surface vessels (ASVs). The agreement combines Hanwha’s shipbuilding capacity with HavocAI’s collaborative autonomy technology.
Hanwha is currently the only shipbuilder with an operational shipyard in the United States to enter into a joint agreement with an autonomous vessel company. Hanwha Philly Shipyard is under consideration for production of the vessels.
HavocAI recently closed an $85 million funding round, confirmed the sale of vessels to the U.S. Department of War, and demonstrated its autonomy technology in GPS‑denied environments to Ukrainian officials.
🎤 Michael Coulter, CEO of Hanwha Defense USA, said:
“By forging a partnership between an allied defense company with advanced manufacturing scale in Hanwha with a software-first defense technology company in HavocAI, we will deliver state-of-the-art ASVs at scale for American service members. This agreement will not only deliver for the American warfighter but will create much-needed competition for the Department of War acquisition process.”
🎤 Paul Lwin, co‑founder and CEO of HavocAI, added:
“The Department of War has sent a clear demand signal to the shipbuilding industry: we need more boats, faster, with more capabilities, for less money. Partnerships like this — pairing a leading-edge technology with an established global infrastructure — are exactly how we achieve that goal.”
Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the companies will jointly develop the ASVs, including production planning, installation, proposal development, and technical domains. Production will align with the U.S. government’s Modular Attack Surface Craft program.
Last October, Hanwha and HavocAI announced a strategic relationship following a joint technology demonstration at Hanwha Ocean’s Geoje shipyard in Korea. HavocAI conducted an autonomous force protection mission off Hawaii, with beyond‑line‑of‑sight command and control from Geoje.

📃📷  Source : Hanwha