Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. reports developments across U.S. military shipbuilding and defense mission technologies. The company’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division builds non-nuclear surface ships such as Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers and supports new frigate work, while Newport News Shipbuilding builds nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and participates in U.S. submarine programs.
Recurring HII news includes U.S. Navy contract awards, ship deliveries and sea-trial milestones, distributed shipbuilding initiatives, workforce pipelines through shipyard academies and apprenticeships, quarterly earnings, and cash dividends. Mission Technologies updates cover unmanned and autonomous maritime platforms, including REMUS unmanned underwater vehicles, and defense capabilities tied to C6ISR, artificial intelligence and machine learning, electronic warfare, and synthetic training.
HII (HII) received a $336 million undefinitized contract from the U.S. Navy to begin procuring long-lead time materials for planned aircraft carrier CVN 82 at its Newport News Shipbuilding division.
The award funds advanced procurement of propulsion plant materials that are described as critical to the future construction of CVN 82. An HII program management executive said this order is a key early step in planning the carrier and serves as a demand signal to thousands of suppliers in the U.S. aircraft carrier industrial base. CVN 82 is expected to extend the legacy of highly capable nuclear-powered U.S. aircraft carriers. A photo related to the announcement is available on HII’s website.
HII (HII) highlighted its workforce and supplier development efforts during a panel at Delta Fest 2026 in Jackson, Mississippi.
Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Edmond E. Hughes joined regional leaders to discuss how industrial investment is reshaping the Deep South and the capacity needed to sustain long-term growth. Hughes detailed HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding Apprentice School, founded in 1952 and credited with training more than 4,000 graduates, and the Ingalls Shipbuilder Academy, a high school work-based learning program whose 49 recent graduates received full-time job offers. He also noted that HII works with more than 5,000 suppliers nationwide and spends about $1 billion annually through its supplier network, underscoring the importance of early supplier readiness and community strength in meeting rising shipbuilding and construction demand.
HII (HII) outlined its strategy to boost shipbuilding throughput for the U.S. Navy during a House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee field hearing on Sept. 4, 2026.
The company reported a 14% year-over-year throughput increase in 2025 and is targeting a 15% increase in 2026, with about 40 ships in active construction or modernization at Ingalls and Newport News. The plan focuses on strengthening its workforce, modernizing shipyard infrastructure including use of physical AI, and expanding the maritime industrial base through a distributed shipbuilding strategy.
HII cited new collective bargaining agreements that provide competitive wage increases and a plan to outsource over two million work hours in 2026, a 178% increase from 2024, to raise throughput and support small and medium suppliers nationwide.
HII (NYSE:HII) reported that its Newport News Shipbuilding division has successfully completed acceptance sea trials for the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), the second Gerald R. Ford-class carrier. The ship returned to Newport News after at-sea testing and evaluation of key systems and components.
The carrier previously completed builder’s sea trials earlier in the year. According to HII, the next step following these acceptance trials is preliminary acceptance, which will allow the U.S. Navy to begin underway test and evaluation of Kennedy’s unique systems.
HII (NYSE:HII) announced that its Mission Technologies division received a $2.2 billion GSA ASTRO IDIQ task order to deliver the STRINGRAI suite (Surveillance, Tracking, Intelligence, Network Services, Global Reconnaissance, Analysis and Interceptions) for U.S. Southern Command. The program supports SOUTHCOM and partner nations across Central and South America and the Caribbean, with one base year and six option years.
HII (NYSE: HII) reported that the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit has officially recognized successful completion of its PRIME prototype project, centered on the Watcher small Unmanned Surface Vessel, based on the ROMULUS‑25 USV and powered by the Odyssey Autonomous Control System.
The recognition follows delivery and sea testing of two autonomous ROMULUS‑25 vessels in December 2025 for the U.S. Marine Corps. Developed with MetalCraft Marine, the Watcher sUSV met key technical objectives and success metrics and is positioned for a potential transition to production via Other Transaction Authority agreements.
HII (NYSE: HII) signed long-term, performance-based production agreements with Path Robotics and GrayMatter Robotics under the HYPR Program. HII intends to award up to $900 million in shipbuilding work over seven years, contingent on technology, manufacturing readiness and performance milestones defined in the agreements.
The partners plan to develop and deploy advanced physical AI automation for U.S. Navy shipbuilding, covering processes such as welding, grinding, blasting, painting, assembly and inspection. HII plans in 2026 to outsource more than 2.5 million hours of shipbuilding work, a 30% increase from 2025, to expand distributed shipbuilding capacity.
HII (NYSE: HII) and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries are advancing their strategic partnership with a pilot program to deploy additional intelligent mechanized welding systems at HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula, Mississippi.
The pilot extends Ingalls’ existing automation strategy into unit-fabrication areas that rely mainly on manual welding. The systems automatically recognize workpieces and welding conditions, adjust welding positions in real time, and capture process data to support quality control, process improvement and traceability. Ingalls has aligned the machines with U.S. Navy fabrication standards and will use the pilot to identify efficiency gains as part of broader automation, robotics, and AI-enabled initiatives across HII’s shipyards.
HII (NYSE:HII) has appointed Chris Helton as vice president of infrastructure and sustainability at its Newport News Shipbuilding division, effective Aug. 31. Helton will oversee infrastructure modernization, facilities, environmental health and safety, and security, reporting to Karey Malyszko, NNS vice president of quality, process excellence and plant operations.
Helton brings 35 years of shipbuilding experience from HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division, where he held roles in engineering, facilities, maintenance and planning, contributed to post-Hurricane Katrina recovery, and most recently served as director of post-launch electrical operations. He holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering technology and an MBA from the University of Southern Mississippi.
HII (NYSE: HII) reported second quarter 2026 revenues of $3.4 billion, up 10.9% year over year, with operating income of $210 million and net earnings of $208 million, or $5.27 diluted EPS versus $3.86 a year ago.
Segment operating income was $224 million (6.6% margin). Ingalls revenues rose 16.7% to $845 million, Newport News revenues rose 15.3% to $1.8 billion, while Mission Technologies revenues declined 3.9% to $760 million but improved margin to 7.2%. New awards were $6.7 billion, taking backlog to $57.3 billion at June 30, 2026.
Net cash used in operating activities was $31 million, with free cash flow of negative $150 million. For FY26, the company raised shipbuilding revenue guidance to $10.2–$10.4 billion, increased the low end of shipbuilding operating margin guidance to 6.0–6.5%, and reaffirmed free cash flow outlook of $500–$600 million.