HII, the global leader in unmanned maritime vehicles, has announced a strategic partnership with Nominal, a specialist engineering firm, to overhaul its data and manufacturing processes. The collaboration aims to compress the development cycle for HII’s renowned REMUS underwater vehicles and the newer ROMULUS surface vehicles by streamlining how data is collected and analyzed.
By integrating Nominal’s software tools into the production pipeline, HII intends to move beyond traditional, siloed testing methods. The new system will create standardized workflows that provide engineers with a unified view of product data, from individual components to fully assembled vehicles. This “digital-twin” approach allows for faster post-mission analysis and improved historical trend tracking, effectively shortening the feedback loop between the test floor and the fleet.
This upgrade comes at a critical time. REMUS vehicles are already a cornerstone of allied naval power, trusted by over 30 nations for mine detection and surveillance. Meanwhile, the ROMULUS USV is designed to extend that reach, acting as a force multiplier by keeping manned ships safer. The partnership is key to scaling production of these dual-domain assets to meet surging global demand for hybrid fleet capabilities.
“Our goal is to deliver resilient maritime autonomy at the pace our allies need,” said Eric Chewning of HII. Cameron McCord, CEO of Nominal, added, “Autonomy programs succeed on how fast they can test and learn. This partnership brings that speed to critical security infrastructure.”
The initiative builds on a 2025 pilot program that delivered significant efficiency gains, cutting some analysis tasks from hours to minutes and nearly halving certain production test steps through automated data capture. Following this success, the partnership will expand in 2026 to support increased production volumes, ensuring that HII’s engineering teams can focus less on data assembly and more on innovation and capacity expansion.
