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Anduril Unites With HD Hyundai to Pioneer Next-Gen Modular Warship Autonomy for U.S. Naval Vision.
Anduril Industries and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries have launched a joint effort to design modular Autonomous Surface Vessels for the U.S. Navy. The move strengthens the Navy’s push for a distributed fleet that can counter rapid maritime modernization by China and persistent pressure from Russia.
On 13 November 2025, Anduril Industries confirmed that it is partnering with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries to design and build a new generation of Autonomous Surface Vessels (ASVs). The agreement brings together one of the world’s most experienced commercial shipbuilders and a U.S. defense technology company known for its expertise in software-defined autonomy. While full program details remain undisclosed, the initiative aligns with the U.S. Navy’s ambition to field a distributed and partially autonomous surface fleet through efforts such as the Modular Attack Surface Craft (MASC) or medium unmanned surface vessel programs. The announcement comes against a backdrop of rapid Chinese naval expansion and continued Russian maritime pressure, highlighting a deliberate effort to rethink how the United States develops and fields surface combatants.
Anduril and HD Hyundai are joining forces to build modular autonomous warships that anchor the U.S. Navy’s vision for a distributed, software‑defined fleet amid rising maritime challenges from China and Russia (Picture Source: Anduril)
The ASV family is conceived as a dual-use platform designed for both defense and commercial operators. Built in steel to facilitate durability and maintainability, the vessels use an open-architecture layout that supports interchangeable, containerized payloads. A central deckhouse offers a 360-degree field of regard for sensors and mission systems, allowing the same hull to be reconfigured for missions including intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, strike, electronic warfare, anti-submarine warfare or contested logistics. Propulsion, navigation, and mission systems are connected through Anduril’s autonomous software core, enabling the ships to serve as networked platforms that can be updated and retasked over time through software and modular hardware changes.
Unlike traditional surface combatants, which require long construction timelines, complex systems integration and large crews, the Anduril-Hyundai design emphasizes scalable production, flexible configuration options and lower lifecycle costs. The focus on modular mission bays, commercial shipbuilding practices and open systems integration represents a departure from earlier generations of unmanned surface vehicles, which often relied on bespoke architectures and were difficult to reconfigure. The vessels are intended to operate in numbers as a distributed layer of the fleet, conceptually filling an “attritable” role without exposing sailors onboard each platform.
The strategic context reinforces the program’s importance. China continues to expand its naval fleet at a pace often cited as three times faster than U.S. shipbuilding output, while also using coast guard and militia vessels to exert pressure in contested waters. Russia, meanwhile, maintains naval pressure in the Black Sea and Arctic and probes Western maritime infrastructure. At the same time, the growing use of low-cost drones and missiles has raised concerns over the sustainability of deploying high-value manned warships for routine security roles. A modular, more numerous ASV fleet allows for broader distribution of sensors and shooters across the battlespace, reinforcing concepts such as distributed maritime operations and maritime kill-web architectures.
Beyond fleet modernization, the partnership also reflects an effort to expand American shipbuilding capacity. Anduril announced plans to reactivate Seattle’s historic Foss Shipyard as an assembly and testing hub for future ASVs. The first prototype is currently under construction in Korea by HD Hyundai to validate the design, propulsion choices and autonomy integration before U.S. production ramps up. While neither Anduril nor Hyundai have disclosed exact program budgets, the use of private capital and infrastructure investment suggests preparations for a sustained production effort if trials prove successful.
This cooperation marks a significant evolution in naval acquisition. Rather than building bespoke, heavily crewed warships one hull at a time, the model emerging here relies on scalable production, modular payloads and software-defined adaptability. Drawing on Anduril’s experience with large autonomous systems such as the Ghost Shark undersea platform, the ASV project extends this design philosophy from the seabed to the ocean surface, contributing to a layered unmanned maritime force architecture. If the first Modular Attack Surface Craft variants perform as planned, the initiative could reshape how the United States and its allies generate naval power and protect maritime infrastructure in contested waters.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.