In a significant move to advance U.S. naval capabilities, Hanwha Defense USA, Hanwha Systems, and the collaborative autonomy firm HavocAI formally announced a partnership on Thursday to jointly develop a 200-foot autonomous surface vessel (ASV). The collaboration strategically pairs Hanwha’s global shipbuilding infrastructure with HavocAI’s cutting-edge, software-driven autonomy technology, aiming to deliver a new class of unmanned vessels at scale.
A key differentiator in this agreement is Hanwha’s operational U.S. shipyard. Hanwha Philly Shipyard, already under consideration for production, positions the team uniquely to manufacture these vessels domestically, aligning with national security and industrial base priorities. This partnership marks the first time a shipbuilder with an active American yard has entered such a joint venture with an autonomous vessel company.
The announcement follows a series of notable milestones for HavocAI. The company recently secured $85 million in funding, publicly confirmed the sale of dozens of vessels to the U.S. Department of Defense, and successfully demonstrated its collaborative autonomy systems for Ukrainian officials in challenging, GPS-denied environments—a critical capability for modern warfare.
“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,” said Michael Coulter, CEO of Hanwha Defense USA. He emphasized that the venture would not only benefit the warfighter but also “create much-needed competition for the Department of Defense acquisition process.”
Echoing the demand from military leaders, Paul Lwin, Co-founder and CEO of HavocAI, stated, “The Department of Defense 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.”
A formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlines the partnership, with companies collaborating on mass production planning, system installation, proposal development, and technical integration. The vessel development will specifically respond to the U.S. Navy’s Modular Attack Surface Craft (MASC) solicitation program, which seeks versatile, affordable unmanned platforms.
This formal agreement builds upon a strategic relationship announced in October 2023, following a successful joint technology demonstration. In that event, HavocAI’s systems autonomously guided a vessel on a force protection mission off the coast of Hawaii, with beyond-line-of-sight command and control executed seamlessly from Hanwha Ocean’s shipyard in Geoje, South Korea. The new partnership aims to translate that proven technological synergy into a producible, mission-ready vessel for the U.S. fleet.
