New U.S.-Korean ASV on Track to Be On Water This Fall

By Vicky Uhland, Seapower Correspondent  

In October, Anduril Industries (Booth 130) is set to debut its first ship in a new class of autonomous surface vessels in collaboration with HD Hyundai and Edison Chouest Offshore. 

Anduril’s 60-meter, 500-plus-ton ASV is aimed the U.S. Navy’s medium unmanned surface vessel (MUSV) program, which focuses on building a distributed, autonomous surface fleet that can nimbly coordinate operations in order to deter threats.  

MUSV is in response to the growing expense of using manned platforms to defend commercial shipping and maintain sea control, said Cory Emmons, Anduril’s general manager of surface dominance.  

Emmons said because of lead-ship building difficulties from legacy production models in the U.S., Anduril chose to partner with Hyundai to cut production time. Anduril is also partnering with Edison Chouest Offshore for U.S. ship production, while Hyundai will mostly build ships for Anduril’s global clients.  

“The U.S. Navy has been clear: Scale is what matters. A single autonomous ship doesn’t move the needle,” according to an Anduril blog. “Commercial shipbuilders are essential to this effort because they already operate at scale, producing large numbers of reliable vessels efficiently, on time and on a disciplined budget.” 

Production on Anduril’s first ASV began in November, and Anduril has been conducting daily at-sea testing of vehicle autonomy, mission autonomy and container payloads on a surrogate vessel using the company’s high-assurance software. “We’re analyzing all potential hazards on the [sea] surface,” Emmons said.  

Along with potential naval applications, Emmons said Anduril’s ASV fleet could be used commercially for sea bed and continental shelf exploration for oil and gas companies. “It’s an emerging market,” he said.