Hanwha teams with HavocAI on large autonomous surface vessels for future U.S. Navy operations.

Hanwha Defense USA, Hanwha Systems Co, and US autonomy specialist HavocAI have formalized a partnership to develop a new class of 200-foot autonomous surface vessels for future US defense missions. The move underscores Washington’s accelerating push toward large unmanned naval platforms and reflects the expanding role of allied firms inside the US maritime industrial base.

Hanwha announced on January 8, 2026, that its US defense subsidiary and systems arm have entered into a formal partnership with HavocAI to jointly design and develop a large autonomous surface vessel measuring roughly 200 feet in length. According to company statements, the effort is intended to support future US defense force requirements as the Pentagon and US Navy continue to invest in unmanned and optionally crewed platforms designed to operate alongside traditional warships. The agreement brings together Hanwha’s shipbuilding and defense manufacturing experience with HavocAI’s autonomy software and mission systems, positioning the team to address emerging US requirements for long-range, persistent maritime platforms capable of operating with limited human intervention.
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Platforms of this scale are increasingly viewed by US Navy and US Marine Corps planners as key enablers for distributed maritime operations, long-range logistics support, persistent intelligence collection, and forward-deployed sensing in contested environments.(Picture source: HavocAI)

The collaboration brings together Hanwha’s industrial shipbuilding capacity with HavocAI’s collaborative autonomy software, a pairing that industry observers describe as unusually well aligned with emerging Pentagon requirements for attritable and semi-autonomous naval platforms. Hanwha is currently the only major foreign shipbuilder operating an active shipyard in the United States that has entered a formal development agreement with an autonomous vessel company. Sources familiar with the discussions confirm that Hanwha’s Philadelphia shipyard is being actively evaluated as a potential construction site, a move that would embed autonomous vessel production directly into the US industrial base.

From a technical perspective, the proposed 200 foot autonomous surface vessel sits well above the size class of most experimental unmanned surface craft demonstrated to date. Platforms of this scale are increasingly viewed by US Navy and US Marine Corps planners as key enablers for distributed maritime operations, long-range logistics support, persistent intelligence collection, and forward-deployed sensing in contested environments. Industry engineers involved in the program indicated that the design effort is focused on endurance, modular payload integration, and reduced crewing concepts, allowing the vessel to transition between optionally crewed and fully autonomous modes depending on mission demands.

HavocAI’s recent trajectory adds further weight to the partnership. The company has closed an $85 million funding round and has confirmed sales of dozens of autonomous vessels to the US Department of War, a term increasingly used in industry circles to describe the expanding defense acquisition apparatus spanning multiple services. HavocAI has also demonstrated its autonomy stack in GPS-denied environments during engagements with Ukrainian officials, a capability that has become a critical requirement following lessons drawn from the war in Ukraine and growing concerns over electronic warfare in the Indo-Pacific.

Hanwha Defense USA chief executive Michael Coulter emphasized that the partnership is designed to meet scale and affordability requirements that have historically challenged US naval programs. He noted that combining an allied defense manufacturer with mature production capacity and a software-first autonomy firm allows the delivery of advanced autonomous surface vessels in meaningful numbers, while also injecting competition into a procurement landscape often dominated by a small number of legacy primes.

HavocAI co-founder and chief executive Paul Lwin framed the agreement as a direct response to signals from the Pentagon and Congress. He stated that the Department of War has been explicit in its demand for more vessels, delivered faster, with greater capability, and at lower cost. Under the memorandum of understanding, the companies will jointly address mass production planning, autonomy integration, installation concepts, proposal development, and detailed technical work. This follows an earlier joint demonstration conducted at Hanwha Ocean’s Geoje shipyard in South Korea, where elements of the autonomy architecture were evaluated on a full-scale maritime platform.

Strategically, the program reflects a broader shift in US defense planning toward resilient maritime force structures capable of operating under constant surveillance and threat. Large autonomous surface vessels are increasingly seen as a way to extend naval presence without proportionally increasing manpower or exposing high-value crewed ships. If realized, a US-built 200-foot autonomous surface vessel could play a role in logistics shuttle missions, decoy operations, distributed sensor networks, or even as a host platform for containerized weapons systems, depending on future policy decisions.

For Hanwha, the agreement also reinforces its long- term ambition to become a central player in US naval modernization beyond traditional ship repair and maintenance roles. For HavocAI, access to an established shipbuilder with US facilities addresses one of the biggest hurdles facing autonomy-focused defense startups: the transition from prototype to serial production. Together, the companies are positioning themselves to compete for a share of future US Navy and joint force unmanned maritime programs that are expected to move from experimentation to procurement over the next several budget cycles.