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Pascagoula, Miss. — HII and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries are moving forward with a pilot program to introduce additional intelligent mechanized welding equipment at HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division, broadening the yard’s existing automation and technology efforts. The initiative advances U.S.-Korea shipbuilding collaboration outlined in a 2025 memorandum of understanding between the companies and aligns with HII’s push to innovate as it delivers ships to the U.S. Navy.
“Ingalls operates one of the most advanced automated production lines in the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base,” Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Blanchette said. “Investments in technology and automation range from large-scale automated panel lines and material handling, to robotic bulkhead fabrication, to numerous other digital and advanced manufacturing tools. This pilot extends that automation footprint further into the production process, and to a greater share of the workforce. 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.”
The trial will place intelligent mechanized welding systems in unit-fabrication areas that have largely relied on manual welding. The technology is intended to improve safety and efficiency in one of shipbuilding’s most demanding tasks by automatically recognizing workpieces and welding conditions, making real-time corrections to welding positions, and recording process data to support quality control, continuous improvement, and traceability. Ingalls has verified that the machines meet current U.S. Navy fabrication standards and will use the program to pinpoint efficiency gains.
“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.”
The welding pilot stems from a three-day technical exchange at Ingalls where the companies assessed shipbuilding technologies and automation opportunities across their shipyards. During that visit, Ingalls highlighted its hybrid laser welding process, robotics integration, and facility layout designed to streamline construction.
Broader automation and digital initiatives are also under way or under evaluation at HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding in Mississippi and Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia. Efforts include new robotic and cobot applications such as fabrication cells, additive manufacturing, automated steel processing systems, integrated production control software for precise construction and real-time production insights, and ongoing upgrades to automated panel and bulkhead lines. In parallel, HII’s recently announced High-Yield Production Robotics (HYPR) program teams the company with emerging physical AI technology firms to deploy AI-enabled tools aimed at augmenting the existing shipbuilding workforce.
