HD Hyundai has agreed to cooperate with Anduril Industries, a U.S. artificial intelligence defense company, on the development of unmanned surface vessels and ship automation technology. HD Hyundai is solidifying its cooperation with the United States, having recently secured its first maintenance, repair, and overhaul project for a U.S. Navy ship.

HD Hyundai announced on Aug. 7 that it has signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Anduril for cooperation in ship development. The signing ceremony, held the previous day at HD Hyundai’s Global R&D Center (GRC) in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, was attended by Joo Won-ho, CEO of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Special Ship Business, and Palmer Luckey, co-founder of Anduril.

This MOA concretizes the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed with Anduril in April. The two companies have agreed to mutually supply HD Hyundai’s AI ship automation technology and ship design and construction technology, along with Anduril’s autonomous mission execution system solutions.

Through this collaboration, Anduril’s autonomous mission execution system solutions will be incorporated into the unmanned surface vessels being developed by HD Hyundai for the Korean market. In the U.S. market, HD Hyundai will design, construct, and integrate AI ship automation technology into manned and unmanned vessels primarily developed by Anduril.

The two companies plan to jointly develop prototypes of unmanned surface vessels for both the Korean and U.S. markets. The prototype for the Korean market is expected to be unveiled around 2027.

Joo stated, “Unmanned vessels are a core and essential element of future naval warfare. Through cooperation with Anduril, which has the highest level of autonomous mission execution systems, we will develop world-class unmanned vessels.”

Luckey said, “We look forward to continuing as strong collaborative partners in both the U.S. and Korean markets, creating a win-win situation.”

Source:Business Korea