HII is doubling down on its commitment to maritime dominance by modernizing the manufacturing pipeline for its REMUS and ROMULUS unmanned vehicle families. In a new partnership with technology firm Nominal, the company is overhauling its data collection and validation processes to accelerate production and enhance vehicle performance.
The core of the collaboration is a shift to standardized, software-driven workflows. Nominal’s platform will enable HII to validate test data and digital-twin simulations more efficiently, creating a single source of truth across the entire vehicle lifecycle. This ensures that insights gained on the test floor are immediately applicable to fleet operations and vice versa, fostering a rapid, continuous improvement cycle.
For the warfighter, this means more reliable and capable platforms delivered faster. The battle-proven REMUS UUVs, already in service with 14 NATO members, will see improved quality control and traceability. The ROMULUS USV, which extends the reach of these underwater assets, will benefit from accelerated development cycles, allowing it to close anti-submarine warfare gaps more effectively.
“We are shortening the distance between testing and delivery,” stated Eric Chewning of HII. “This is about creating a repeatable, scalable system for building complex autonomy.” Nominal’s CEO, Cameron McCord, emphasized the necessity of this evolution: “In today’s security environment, building resilient tech at scale is a requirement, not an option.”
The partnership’s potential was validated in a 2025 pilot where automated analysis templates transformed hours-long tasks into minute-long exercises and streamlined production test steps by roughly 50%. In 2026, HII and Nominal will roll out these tools more broadly, empowering engineering and quality teams with a shared, repeatable data framework designed to cut waste and dramatically increase production throughput.
