Two major defense partnerships to develop uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) were announced during the recently concluded Sea Air Space expo, held at the National Harbor outside of Washington, DC. Hanwha USA will team up with Magnet Defense, while Anduril is teaming up with Kraken, HD Hyundai, and Edison Chouest Offshore.
The first announcement came from Hanwha Defense USA and Magnet Defense. The two companies will team up to manufacture an 11.5 m (38-foot) medium uncrewed surface vessel (MUSV).
FW MAG reached out to Hanwha USA for further comment about the timeline for the construction of this new USV. HDUSA spokesperson James Hewitt told FW MAG that, “HDUSA and Magnet Defense are committed to moving out rapidly on the prototype build of the H38,” the name of the future MUSV.
In response to another question about the H38’s capabilities, Hewitt explained that the MUSV will “support the transport of a wide range of payload systems in the 6 m (20-foot) and 13.3 (40-foot) container form factor” and also support the Department of War and the US Navy across a “wide range of missions.” H38 is a platform focused on range and sea survivability, with the stability to support weapon release in challenging environments, the company spokesperson concluded.
Meanwhile, Anduril announced two partnerships. The first is a partnership with Kraken Technology Group to produce small Uncrewed Surface Vessels (sUSVs). Specifically, Anduril will manufacture K5 KRAKEN and K7 SABRE at US facilities, “and sustain and support the fleet.” Moreover, Anduril will integrate payloads and Lattice (an open, AI-powered software platform) for a “full range” of US Navy missions. During a media gathering on Tuesday, April 21, at Sea Air Space, FW Mag asked representatives from both companies about the timeline for developing these integrated systems. The executives said the process to identify locations for this project has now commenced, without providing any further information.
A day prior, on Monday, April 20, Anduril discussed its partnership with South Korea’s HD Hyundai. The goal of the two major defense companies is to manufacture autonomous surface vessels (ASVs).
The partnership was announced in 2025 to develop a new class of dual-use ASVs by leveraging HD Hyundai’s experience in shipbuilding and Anduril’s software-defined autonomy and mission systems integration expertise. The goal is to develop both commercial and defense ASVs, “including a variant designed to meet the US Navy’s needs under its Modular Attack Surface Craft (MASC) programme,” Anduril explained in a press release at the time. The MASC programme was ultimately canceled and replaced with the US Navy’s new medium uncrewed surface vessel (MUSV) programme. At a media briefing at Sea Air Space, Anduril confirmed that the company is bidding for the US Navy’s MUSV programme.
The partnership between Anduril and HD Hyundai sails forward, as the “first hull takes shape in Korea,” while Anduril conducts “daily at-sea testing of vehicle autonomy, mission autonomy, and containerized payloads on a surrogate vessel,” the company explained at SAS. Anduril added that the objective remains for the ASV to be in the water and commence tests “by the end of this year.”
Anduril is betting on partnerships to develop other new capabilities. The SAS media briefing included an executive from HD Hyundai and from the US shipyard Edison Chouest Offshore. The companies explained that the partnership with the South Korean company is “expanding,” as Edison will build an ASV in the US. To clarify, Edison will be a US production partner for the same ASV that Anduril is building in Korea.
As the US government aims to exponentially expand the size and capabilities of the Navy’s fleet of surface and underwater platforms, autonomous systems will be critical to achieving this goal.
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