Shipbuilder HII (NYSE: HII) and Korea's HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) are advancing their strategic partnership with a pilot program to install additional intelligent mechanized welding equipment at HII's Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Announced on August 4, 2026, the pilot extends a 2025 memorandum of understanding between the two companies and is a concrete step in growing U.S.-Korea shipbuilding cooperation on U.S. Navy hulls.
Robotic welding on Navy fabrication lines
The pilot deploys intelligent mechanized welding systems in unit-fabrication areas at Ingalls that today rely predominantly on manual welding. Each system automatically identifies workpieces, assesses welding conditions, corrects position in real time, and captures traceable process data for quality control and continuous improvement. HII said the machines comply with existing U.S. Navy fabrication standards and will be used to identify efficiency gains before broader rollout.
“Ingalls operates one of the most advanced automated production lines in the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base,” Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Blanchette said, citing existing investments in automated panel lines, robotic bulkhead fabrication and material handling. “Working with HHI allows us to expand targeted automation functions, and integrate shared best practices as we continue delivering the most capable ships to the U.S. Navy.”
Three-day technical exchange
The pilot grew out of a three-day technical exchange at Ingalls where the two shipbuilders compared technologies across their yards. During the visit, Ingalls showed HHI its hybrid laser welding process, robotic integration cells, and facility layouts designed to support streamlined ship construction.
“This pilot program reflects the strengthening of our partnership and the advantages of open technical collaboration,” said Dr. Won-ho Joo, chief executive of the Naval & Special Ship Business Unit at HHI. “We look forward to working with HII to enhance shipbuilding efficiency and deliver greater value to our customers.”
Part of HII's broader HYPR robotics push
The Ingalls pilot sits alongside HII's recently announced High-Yield Production Robotics (HYPR) initiative, which teams HII with emerging physical AI companies to add AI-enabled tools across its yards. HII is also expanding cobot fabrication cells, additive manufacturing, automated steel processing, and integrated production-control software at both Ingalls and Newport News Shipbuilding.
The wider automation push follows a run of Navy-focused robotics announcements at HII, including the Lionfish SUUV option-year award and continued at-sea testing of the Romulus USV, and complements this month's Mercury Systems and Palantir partnership for defense factory automation.
Reporting based on coverage from HII, GlobeNewswire, Naval News, and Seoul Economic Daily.