Adds Significant Breadth to Unmanned Systems Solutions

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced on 4 January it has acquired the autonomy business of Spatial Integrated Systems Inc. (SIS). The acquisition further expands HII’s unmanned systems capabilities with this highly skilled team and proven USV solutions.

“2020 was a significant year for HII in the unmanned systems industry, and this acquisition is the perfect complement to our existing portfolio and strategic partnerships,” commented HII Technical Solutions’ President, Andy Green.

SIS’s unmanned systems solutions — including multi-vehicle collaborative autonomy, sensor fusion and perception — have been fielded for more than 6,000 hours on 23 vessel types. They have supported multiple development projects and demonstrations advancing autonomy in unmanned systems in the maritime, ground and air domains. The company’s solutions are actively in use throughout US DoD, coordinating and controlling multiple collaborative unmanned vehicles in the execution of mission applications including ISR, harbour patrol, high value unit escort missions, payload delivery and mine clearance. SIS’s intelligent, goal-oriented USV solutions follow Unmanned Maritime Autonomy Architecture standards and integrate proven obstacle avoidance and International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea-compliant behaviours.

“SIS is a leader in autonomous technology, and this acquisition adds significant breadth to our unmanned systems solutions,” explained Duane Fotheringham, President of Technical Solutions’ Unmanned Systems business group. “This technology and the talented team provide unmatched capabilities in multi-domain collaborative autonomy and perception, allowing HII to uniquely address our customers’ needs.”

The acquisition of SIS’s autonomy business follows other recent unmanned systems activity by HII, including the acquisition of Hydroid, a strategic alliance with Kongsberg Maritime, an equity investment in Sea Machines, and ground-breaking on a new HII Unmanned Systems Center of Excellence in Hampton, VA.

The transaction closed on 31 December and approximately 50 employees from SIS, primarily located in Virginia Beach, VA, have joined HII Technical Solutions’ Unmanned Systems business group. Sam Lewis, President and COO of SIS, will lead the company’s USV efforts, reporting to Fotheringham. The cost of the transaction is not being disclosed.