US-based Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has unveiled ROMULUS, a new family of unmanned surface vessels (USVs) built around the company’s Odyssey Autonomous Control System.
At the forefront of the USV family is the 190-foot (58-meter) ROMULUS 190, which is now under construction with Breaux Brothers, Beier Integrated Systems, and Incat Crowther.
Built on a commercial-standard hull designed for serial production, the vessel is expected to top 25 knots (46 kilometers/29 miles per hour), sail over 2,500 nautical miles (2,878 miles/4,630 kilometers), and carry four 40-foot (12-meter) ISO containers.
ROMULUS 190 is being developed for multi-mission flexibility, including intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, strike, and counter-drone missions.
With long endurance and quick deployment, it can also support the launch and recovery of other unmanned vehicles.
“The future fight demands speed, agility, and resilience, all embedded in the Odyssey-powered ROMULUS family,” said Chris Kastner, HII President and CEO.
“By matching world-class shipbuilding with decades of unmanned systems expertise, we are delivering a mission-ready, swarm USV capability built for the next generation of operations.”
Odyssey Autonomy
Anchoring the ROMULUS family is Odyssey, a proven software suite with over 6,000 operational hours across 35 USV platforms in US and allied programs.
The system enables AI-driven swarm control, object classification, health monitoring, and collision-avoidance navigation.
Its open-architecture design, which aligns with US Navy standards, allows integration of third-party sensors, payloads, and autonomy tools.
Additional technologies from Shield AI, Applied Intuition, and C3 AI further enhance its autonomy, data fusion, and lifecycle sustainment.
When paired with HII’s REMUS unmanned undersea vehicles, ROMULUS extends reach for anti-submarine warfare and mine countermeasures, while lowering risk to manned platforms.
HII has delivered more than 700 REMUS unmanned undersea vehicles to over 30 nations, with more than 90 percent still in service after two decades.
With ROMULUS working alongside REMUS, the company is positioning its unmanned systems to meet emerging naval concepts of operation.
