HII debuts ROMULUS USVs

September 10, 2025, by Fatima Bahtić

America’s defense heavyweight HII has introduced ROMULUS, a modular, AI-enabled family of unmanned surface vessels (USVs) powered by HII’s Odyssey autonomous control system (ACS) software suite.

ROMULUS 190, the flagship of HII’s ROMULUS family of unmanned surface vessels (USVs), is currently under construction. It is being developed in partnership with Breaux Brothers, Beier Integrated Systems, and Incat Crowther.

The 58-meter vessel is built on a commercial-standard hull engineered for rapid, repeatable production. It is designed to achieve speeds exceeding 25 knots and offers a minimum operational range of 2,500 nautical miles. The vessel’s payload deck can accommodate up to four 40-foot ISO intermodal containers, providing flexibility for various mission modules, according to HII.

“The future fight demands speed, agility, and resilience, all embedded in the Odyssey-powered ROMULUS family,” said Chris Kastner, HII president and CEO.

“By matching world-class shipbuilding with decades of unmanned systems expertise, we are delivering a mission-ready, swarm USV capability built for the next generation of operations.”

Odyssey ACS software suite has been used on more than 35 USV platforms with over 6,000 operational hours in the US Navy, US Marine Corps, US Coast Guard, and international programs.

The software suite’s open-access, government-aligned architecture enables rapid integration of new sensors, payloads, and third-party autonomy technologies, HII added

ROMULUS family can be used in mine counter-measures (MCM) missions, closing anti-submarine warfare sensing gaps and keeping manned platforms at a safer standoff distance.

HII has also developed the REMUS UUV technology platform, which operates across modern naval operations, including intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), mine countermeasures, anti-submarine warfare, and electronic warfare.

These autonomous systems can operate independently or teamed with crewed platforms, such as Virginia-class nuclear submarines, expanding operational reach.

The company partnered with Thales to complete the integration and field exercise of the Thales SAMDIS 600 sonar with REMUS 620.