Huntington Ingalls Wins Contract for Up to 200 Unmanned Sub Drones

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has secured a major U.S. government contract for the production of small unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs) based on a well-known platform, the REMUS 300.

The REMUS series began life at Woods Hole's Oceanographic Systems Lab. It was spun off as a commercial company, Hydroid, in 2001, then bought by Kongsberg in 2007. HII acquired Hydroid in 2020 as part of a move to diversify into unmanned and autonomous systems, and it has expanded the range to include new models for government customers. 

The Navy uses variants of four different REMUS models, the REMUS 100, 600, 2500 and 6000, all named for their depth rating in meters. The REMUS 100 is a small man-portable unit, and the Navy has decided to replace it with an evolved version designated the REMUS 300. After trials and refinements, it will now be built in quantity as a replacement for the small unmanned undersea vehicles (SUUV) program under the name "Lionfish."

The Navy's contract with HII covers the first nine units, but it has options to grow to as many as 200 UUVs over the span of five years. The contract is worth up to about $350 million.

HII is also working on a next-generation derivative of the REMUS 600, used for mine countermeasures, hydrographic surveys, surveillance and electronic warfare. HII and its predecessors have sold 175 of them to the U.S. government and allied nations. The uprated REMUS 620 would have a range of up to 275 nautical miles and a sprint speed of eight knots. Like its predecessor, it will be submarine-deployable.