HII and HD Hyundai pilot robotic welding for US warships

HII and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries have launched a pilot program to introduce intelligent mechanized welding equipment at the Ingalls Shipbuilding yard in Mississippi. The initiative aims to automate areas of warship construction that have traditionally relied on manual welding.

The automated systems are designed to recognize workpieces and welding conditions automatically, correct positions in real time, and capture process data for quality control and traceability. This pilot follows a 2025 memorandum of understanding between the two companies and is intended to identify opportunities for increased efficiency in unit-fabrication areas.

The program comes as American naval shipbuilding faces scrutiny regarding workforce shortages and schedule delays across various submarine and frigate programs. Ingalls Shipbuilding is already utilizing automated panel lines and robotic bulkhead fabrication, and this new technology seeks to further expand the yard’s automated production footprint.