Bayou Metal Supply & Manufacturing, a partner of HII, has launched a dedicated manufacturing line to support the serial production of ROMULUS uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), according to an announcement from HII.
The new facility, located in Slidell, Louisiana, is intended to accelerate construction of the ROMULUS platform, an aluminium-hulled, modular USV designed to perform a variety of remote missions.
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According to HII, the manufacturing line at Bayou Metal Supply provides precision cutting, bending, welding, and assembly of major structural elements, which are shipped as complete units for final integration by Breaux Brothers Enterprises.
Bayou Metal Supply, a strategic aluminium supply and fabrication partner for the ROMULUS programme, is supplying marine-grade aluminium and dedicated manufacturing capacity in support of HII’s production schedule.
HII executive vice president and mission technologies division president Andy Green said: “As we move from prototype to production, partnerships like Bayou Metals are essential to delivering capability at speed and scale.
“Their ability to combine material supply with advanced fabrication strengthens our production model, reduces risk, and accelerates delivery the ROMULUS USV to the fleet.”
The development follows the recent selection of ROMULUS, among seven vessel designs, to advance to the at-sea testing phase of the US Navy’s Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) programme.
According to the US Navy, companies whose vessels complete trials successfully will each receive $15m and may be eligible for further production contracts.
The ROMULUS is a modular family of AI-enabled USVs designed to carry out a range of missions, such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, mine countermeasures, strike operations, as well as the launch and recovery of unmanned underwater and aerial vehicles.
Recently, HII announced the production of four ROMULUS 151 vessels to be built by Breaux Brothers Enterprises alongside an additional vessel under construction.
