HD Hyundai (267250) has become the first South Korean company to successfully demonstrate unmanned surface vessel technology in the United States.
HD Hyundai said on the 19th that it held a joint demonstration of autonomous navigation for an unmanned surface vessel with Anduril, a U.S. artificial intelligence defense company, in the waters off the Port of Long Beach in California on the 14th. The entire demonstration, which ran for about three and a half hours, was relayed through a shore-based control center. About 40 officials from both countries attended, including Chang Kwang-pil, executive vice president and head of HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering's Future Technology Research Institute, along with representatives of Anduril, the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, the American Bureau of Shipping, the South Korean Navy and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.
The two companies showcased advanced unmanned vessel capabilities by simulating a range of maritime scenarios, including autonomous navigation, mission changes, formation sailing and emergency responses to engine failure. The demonstration used a 368-ton large unmanned surface test vessel previously operated by the U.S. Navy and modified for the event. It was equipped with VAone, a total vessel autonomy solution developed in-house by HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, and Lattice, Anduril's mission autonomy software.
VAone stands for Vessel Autonomy, No.1 and Only1. Built on HiNAS Prime, an autonomous navigation solution developed by Avikus, HD Hyundai's autonomous navigation subsidiary, it includes an engine autonomy system that monitors a vessel's machinery in real time to detect faults and respond automatically, as well as a damage autonomy solution that identifies hull damage and takes corrective action on its own.
The companies said the combination of VAone and Anduril's combat-proven Lattice successfully demonstrated fully unmanned surface vessel technology covering autonomy in navigation, machinery, damage control and weapons — the core elements of unmanned composite missions. "In particular, the vessel made successive judgments and responded on its own across a variety of combat situations that can arise at sea, carrying out a field-ready unmanned composite mission flawlessly and confirming our technological lead," an HD Hyundai official said.
Drawing on the capabilities confirmed in the demonstration, the two companies decided to make a full-scale entry into the global unmanned surface vessel market, where demand has surged recently. "This is highly significant in that we confirmed the vessel's ability to carry out composite missions in response to a variety of combat situations that can arise after departure," Chang said. "We will step up technology development and refinement to take the lead in the unmanned surface vessel market."
