Hanwha announced  that it is exploring strategic cooperation with U.S.-based artificial intelligence and autonomy specialist HavocAI to accelerate its expansion into the global unmanned maritime systems market, including the United States.

On Oct. 28, Paul Lwin, CEO of HavocAI, and members of his research team visited Hanwha Ocean’s Geoje Shipyard to review Hanwha’s shipbuilding and maritime-systems capabilities. HavocAI then conducted a live demonstration, in which a HavocAI-equipped unmanned surface vessel (USV) off the coast of Hawaii was remotely operated from Geoje, Korea.

Hanwha views this engagement as an important first step toward concrete collaboration and a foundation for proactive entry into the fast-growing global market for autonomous maritime and naval systems.

Building on Hanwha Group’s established presence in naval shipbuilding and defense electronics, Hanwha Ocean and Hanwha Systems have already strengthened their foothold in the U.S. market through the acquisition of Philly Shipyard in 2024.

The two companies now plan to pursue deeper collaboration that merges Hanwha Ocean’s shipbuilding expertise with Hanwha Systems’ platform-integration and advanced naval systems capabilities—including the combat management system (CMS), engineering control system (ECS), and condition-based maintenance system (CBMS)—alongside HavocAI’s proven autonomous-operation software.

Hanwha Systems’ unmanned surface vessel (USV) “Sea GHOST” for maritime reconnaissance (Photo courtesy of Hanwha Systems)
In addition, they aim to develop practical, scalable solutions that enhance both defense and commercial maritime operations, improve lifecycle efficiency, and reduce maintenance costs.

“By combining Hanwha Group’s naval-systems expertise with HavocAI’s autonomy technology, we can extend the operational life and value of existing vessels while enabling faster deployment of new unmanned systems,” said Paul Lwin, co-founder and CEO of HavocAI.

“Leveraging Hanwha Systems’ maritime-integration capabilities and the synergies of Hanwha’s affiliated companies, we will work closely with HavocAI to achieve tangible progress in entering the global market for autonomous maritime systems,” added Ryu Moon-Ghee, head of the Naval Business Division at Hanwha Systems.

Source:Business Korea