Hanwha Teams with HavocAI to Develop 200-Foot Autonomous Naval Vessels
A new agreement between Hanwha Defense USA (HDUSA), Hanwha Systems Co. (HSC), and U.S.-based collaborative autonomy company HavocAI marks a significant step forward in the development of large autonomous surface vessels (ASVs) for future naval operations. Together, the partners plan to jointly develop 200-foot autonomous vessels that combine global shipbuilding expertise with cutting-edge, AI-enabled autonomy—bringing scale, speed, and advanced capability to the evolving maritime domain.
At the center of the effort is Hanwha’s unique industrial footprint in the United States. Hanwha is currently the only shipbuilder operating an active U.S. shipyard to enter into a formal joint agreement with an autonomous vessels company. Hanwha Philly Shipyard is now under consideration as a potential manufacturing site for the 200-foot ASVs, positioning the program to deliver domestically built, high-capability autonomous platforms at scale.
A Powerful Convergence of Industry Leaders
The collaboration pairs Hanwha’s deep experience in large-scale naval manufacturing with HavocAI’s software-first approach to autonomy. HavocAI has quickly emerged as a leader in collaborative autonomy, recently closing an $85 million funding round and publicly confirming the sale of dozens of autonomous vessels to the U.S. Department of War. The company has also successfully demonstrated its autonomy stack in highly contested, GPS-denied environments, including live demonstrations to Ukrainian officials.
By uniting proven shipbuilding capacity with advanced autonomy technology, the partnership aims to accelerate the delivery of operationally relevant ASVs that meet modern defense demands.
“By forging a partnership between an allied defense company with advanced manufacturing scale in Hanwha and a software-first defense technology company in HavocAI, we will deliver state-of-the-art ASVs at scale for American service members,” said Michael Coulter, CEO of Hanwha Defense USA. “This agreement will not only deliver for the American warfighter but will also create much-needed competition within the Department of War’s acquisition process.”
Responding to Urgent Maritime Needs
The collaboration directly answers growing calls from the U.S. Department of War for faster, more affordable, and more capable maritime platforms. Autonomous surface vessels are increasingly viewed as critical force multipliers, able to perform missions such as surveillance, force protection, and logistics support while reducing risk to human crews.
“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,” said Paul Lwin, co-founder and CEO of HavocAI. “Partnerships like this—pairing leading-edge technology with established global infrastructure—are exactly how we achieve that goal.”
From Concept to Production
Under the terms of a newly signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Hanwha Defense USA, Hanwha Systems, and HavocAI will jointly develop the 200-foot ASVs across multiple domains. The agreement covers mass production planning, system installation, proposal development, and key technical areas required to transition from prototype to scalable production.
Production is expected to align with the U.S. government’s Modular Attack Surface Craft solicitation program, a key pathway for introducing autonomous and semi-autonomous vessels into operational service.
Building on Proven Collaboration
This agreement builds on a strategic relationship announced last October, following a joint technology demonstration conducted from Hanwha Ocean’s Geoje shipyard in South Korea. During that demonstration, HavocAI executed an autonomous force protection mission off the coast of Hawaii, with beyond-line-of-sight command and control conducted remotely from Geoje.
Together, the partners are now moving from demonstration to delivery—laying the foundation for a new generation of large, autonomous surface vessels designed to meet the demands of modern maritime operations.