HII’s Odyssey ACS autonomy bridges manned and unmanned fleets in contested waters

HII is pitching new autonomy software as a linchpin for the Navy’s push toward distributed maritime operations, arguing that decision-making code will matter more than the hulls it runs on as unmanned fleets expand and threats grow more complex.

The company’s Odyssey Autonomous Control Solutions (ACS) is built to give unmanned maritime systems the ability to perceive their environment, collaborate with crewed and uncrewed platforms, and complete tasks with limited or no operator input. In a mine-countermeasures scenario described by the company, a frigate facing suspected mines would keep sailors out of the threat area by sending a ROMULUS unmanned surface vessel to scout while REMUS unmanned underwater vehicles search, classify and, with human authorization, move to neutralize targets—coordinating among themselves and with operators as the mission unfolds.

“Our approach to autonomy is intentionally different,” said Duane Fotheringham, president of HII’s Unmanned Systems business group. “Instead of a vertically integrated, closed ecosystem, we employ a modular open systems strategy that enables integration of best-of-breed technology partners and gives our customers choices.”

Interest in such capabilities has accelerated as navies lean into widely dispersed operations across large theaters where communications may fail and GPS may be denied. The war in Ukraine, persistent mine threats in key waterways, and rising competition in the Indo-Pacific are all cited as drivers of demand for autonomous systems that can continue operating under pressure.

HII positions Odyssey ACS as a common autonomy layer that can run across multiple platforms and domains, enabling cross-fleet coordination rather than controlling a single vehicle in isolation. The company says the software has been integrated on more than 30 different unmanned surface platforms and draws on operational data from military, commercial and scientific missions worldwide. It also points to a long-running production base: more than 750 REMUS UUVs delivered to over 30 countries, with more than 90% still in service after 25 years.

“If 71% of the Earth is covered in water, the ability to achieve effects is constrained more by the quantity of robots we can produce than their autonomy,” said Jeremy Shattuck, chief technology officer for HII’s Unmanned Systems business group. “The autonomy required to operate these robots can be solved by Odyssey ACS. Developing high-end maritime autonomy synthesizes years of autonomy development, modular philosophy, operational experience, missions, production, and sustainment, which HII has.”

Shattuck drew a line between autonomy and the broader field of artificial intelligence, contending that the core challenge is orchestrating sensing, decision-making and action across a mission stack, not just applying AI models to individual problems. “Artificial intelligence isn’t autonomy,” he said. “AI is integrated throughout an autonomy stack, but autonomy is the software that allows a robotic vehicle to manage input from the platform layer up to the mission layer, understand its surroundings, make decisions, to accomplish an objective.”

The company likens Odyssey ACS to replicating functions found on a crewed ship—from navigation and maneuvering to flight operations, communications management and mission payload employment—so that unmanned surface, underwater and aerial systems can keep working when satellites are jammed, positioning signals are degraded or platforms are under attack. In those conditions, HII says the software can reroute around hazards, conserve energy, pick alternate communications paths and coordinate with other vehicles without constant human guidance, while still keeping operators in the loop for critical calls such as engagements.

HII emphasizes collaborative autonomy as a key differentiator. In mine warfare, for example, Odyssey ACS is intended to let multiple systems divide responsibilities simultaneously rather than execute them one by one: a REMUS vehicle searches, another classifies with different sensors, and a ROMULUS surface craft acts as coordinator and deploys neutralization tools, all while operators remain at a safe remove.

Underlying the approach is a Modular Open System Architecture meant to ease technology refresh. As navies seek to avoid vendor lock and quickly add sensors, radios or new software, HII says Odyssey ACS can accept over-the-air updates and integrate or replace payloads, AI models, encryption and mission apps without repeatedly redesigning the host platforms.

To accelerate iteration, the company cites a mature software-factory process that validates new autonomy behaviors through software-, hardware- and vehicle-in-the-loop testing prior to fielding. A digital simulation environment is used to run thousands of virtual missions to vet updates before they reach operational systems.

Fotheringham said the ability to turn lessons from the field into rapid upgrades will be crucial as autonomous fleets scale. “As we get more systems operational, our partners are going to learn a tremendous amount,” he said. “One of Odyssey ACS’s strengths is its open architecture and our ability to rapidly upgrade the software, add new capabilities and adapt as those lessons are learned.”

With unmanned systems moving from experimentation to operational roles, HII is aiming to supply the software backbone that lets robots sense, decide and collaborate alongside sailors in contested waters. Operators, the company stresses, will retain authority over critical decisions even as autonomous platforms make the myriad routine judgments needed to complete complex missions at sea.