Thales and HII partners to develop advanced autonomous undersea mine countermeasure capabilities
HII (NYSE: HII) and Thales have successfully integrated and tested Thales' SAMDIS 600 sonar with HII's REMUS 620 medium unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV). The integration was demonstrated through a field exercise at HII's Pocasset facility in Massachusetts in August 2025.
The collaboration combines Thales' multi-aspect synthetic aperture SAMDIS 600 sonar technology with HII's modular, long-endurance REMUS 620 UUV to enhance autonomous mine detection, classification, and imaging capabilities. This integration aims to strengthen undersea security, mine countermeasures, and subsea infrastructure monitoring for naval forces and partners globally.
HII (NYSE: HII) e Thales hanno integrato e collaudato con successo il sonar SAMDIS 600 di Thales con il veicolo subacqueo senza pilota di media dimensione REMUS 620 di HII. L'integrazione è stata dimostrata durante un'esercitazione sul campo presso la struttura di HII a Pocasset, Massachusetts, nell'agosto 2025.
La collaborazione unisce la tecnologia sonar a sintesi d'apertura multi-aspetto SAMDIS 600 di Thales all'architettura modulare e all'elevata autonomia del REMUS 620 di HII per potenziare le capacità di rilevamento, classificazione e imaging autonomo delle mine. Questo progetto punta a rafforzare la sicurezza sottomarina, le contromisure contra le mine e il monitoraggio delle infrastrutture subacquee per le forze navali e i partner a livello globale.
HII (NYSE: HII) y Thales han integrado y probado con éxito el sonar SAMDIS 600 de Thales en el vehículo submarino no tripulado (UUV) de tamaño medio REMUS 620 de HII. La integración se demostró en un ejercicio de campo en las instalaciones de HII en Pocasset, Massachusetts, en agosto de 2025.
La colaboración combina la tecnología de sonar de apertura sintética multi‑aspecto SAMDIS 600 de Thales con el REMUS 620 modular y de larga autonomía de HII para mejorar las capacidades de detección, clasificación e imagen autónoma de minas. Este trabajo busca reforzar la seguridad submarina, las contramedidas contra minas y la vigilancia de infraestructuras subacuáticas para fuerzas navales y socios en todo el mundo.
HII (NYSE: HII)와 Thales는 Thales의 SAMDIS 600 소나를 HII의 중형 무인수중차량(UUV) REMUS 620에 성공적으로 통합하고 시험했습니다. 통합 시연은 2025년 8월 매사추세츠주 포캐셋에 있는 HII 시설에서 진행되었습니다.
이번 협업은 Thales의 다방향 합성개구(SAMDIS 600) 소나 기술과 HII의 모듈형·장시간 운용이 가능한 REMUS 620을 결합하여 자율 기뢰 탐지·분류·영상화 능력을 향상시키는 것을 목표로 합니다. 이 통합은 전 세계 해군과 파트너들의 해저 안보, 기뢰대응 및 해저 인프라 모니터링을 강화하는 데 기여할 것입니다.
HII (NYSE: HII) et Thales ont intégré et testé avec succès le sonar SAMDIS 600 de Thales sur le véhicule sous‑marin autonome de taille moyenne REMUS 620 de HII. Cette intégration a été démontrée lors d'un exercice sur le terrain dans les installations HII de Pocasset, Massachusetts, en août 2025.
La collaboration associe la technologie sonar à ouverture synthétique multi‑aspect SAMDIS 600 de Thales à la conception modulaire et à l'endurance du REMUS 620 de HII afin de renforcer les capacités de détection, classification et imagerie autonomes des mines. Cette intégration vise à consolider la sécurité sous‑marines, la lutte antimines et la surveillance des infrastructures sous‑marines pour les forces navales et leurs partenaires à travers le monde.
HII (NYSE: HII) und Thales haben erfolgreich Thales' SAMDIS 600 Sonar in HIIs mittleren unbemannten Unterwasserfahrzeug (UUV) REMUS 620 integriert und getestet. Die Integration wurde im August 2025 bei einer Übung auf dem Gelände von HII in Pocasset, Massachusetts, demonstriert.
Die Zusammenarbeit verbindet Thales' mehraspektige synthetische Apertur‑Sonartechnologie SAMDIS 600 mit dem modularen, ausdauernden REMUS 620 von HII, um die autonomen Fähigkeiten zur Minendetektion, -klassifikation und -bildgebung zu verbessern. Ziel ist es, die Unterwasser‑Sicherheit, Minenbekämpfung und Überwachung von Unterwasserinfrastrukturen für Marineeinheiten und Partner weltweit zu stärken.
- Integration demonstrates successful technological compatibility between two industry leaders
- Enhances autonomous undersea mine countermeasure capabilities for NATO and allied forces
- Leverages HII's established REMUS UUV platform with Thales' leading sonar technology
- None.
Insights
HII and Thales successfully integrated advanced sonar with unmanned underwater vehicles, strengthening their competitive position in naval defense technology.
The successful integration of Thales' SAMDIS 600 sonar with HII's REMUS 620 underwater vehicle represents a significant technological advancement in autonomous mine countermeasure capabilities. This integration combines Thales' expertise in multi-aspect synthetic aperture sonar technology with HII's modular, long-endurance unmanned platform to enhance naval operations across three critical domains: undersea security, mine countermeasures, and subsea infrastructure monitoring.
The field exercise completed in August at HII's Pocasset facility demonstrates the interoperability potential that defense contractors increasingly prioritize. For naval customers, particularly NATO and allied forces, this collaboration offers enhanced capabilities without the integration challenges that typically accompany multi-vendor solutions.
This partnership leverages the complementary strengths of both companies - Thales as the world's leading exporter of naval sonar systems and HII's established REMUS platform that has become an industry benchmark. The modular design of the REMUS 620 specifically allows for seamless integration of advanced sensor packages like the SAMDIS 600, enabling sophisticated underwater reconnaissance capabilities.
From a strategic perspective, this collaboration positions both companies to better address growing demands for autonomous underwater systems in an era where naval forces face evolving undersea threats. The multi-aspect and high-resolution synthetic aperture capabilities of the integrated system specifically address the complex challenge of mine detection and classification, which remains one of the most persistent maritime security concerns for naval operations worldwide.
LONDON, Sept. 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HII (NYSE: HII) and Thales today announced the successful integration and field exercise of the Thales SAMDIS1 600 sonar with HII’s next generation REMUS 620 medium unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV).
The integration demonstrates the seamless compatibility of Thales’ world-leading multi-aspect synthetic aperture SAMDIS 600 sonar with HII’s highly modular, long-endurance REMUS 620 UUV. Together, the systems deliver advanced autonomous mine detection, classification, and imaging, offering naval forces and partners around the world enhanced capability for undersea security, mine countermeasures, and subsea infrastructure monitoring.
The exercise, completed at the end of August at the HII Pocasset facility (Massachusetts, USA), marks a major milestone in advancing autonomous undersea mine countermeasure capabilities.
An image accompanying this release is available at: http://hii.com/news/thales-and-hii-partners-to-develop-advanced-autonomous-undersea-mine-countermeasure-capabilities.
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1 Synthetic Aperture Mine Detection and Imaging System
“Teaming the Thales’ advanced SAMDIS 600 sensor in the REMUS 620 underscores the power of collaboration in driving innovation for our customers,” said Duane Fotheringham, president of Mission Technologies’ Unmanned Systems business group. “This milestone demonstrates not only the adaptability of the REMUS 620 but also the strength of industry partnerships in delivering next-generation, interoperable solutions that enhance undersea dominance for NATO and allied forces.”
“SAMDIS empowers missions with enhanced efficiency and effectiveness, serving as a crucial enabler for precise acoustic identification through its multi-aspect and high-resolution SAS capabilities. This achievement is the result of a strong working relationship with HII, demonstrating the strength of industry collaboration in delivering advanced solutions for the benefit of our users' missions," said Paul Armstrong, managing director, Underwater Systems, Thales in the United Kingdom.
HII and Thales’ collaboration builds on decades of leadership in unmanned and underwater systems. Thales is the world’s leading exporter of naval sonar systems, while HII’s REMUS UUV family has become the benchmark for modular, reliable, and mission-ready autonomous undersea vehicles.
About HII
HII is a global, all-domain defense provider. HII’s mission is to deliver the world’s most powerful ships and all-domain solutions in service of the nation, creating the advantage for our customers to protect peace and freedom around the world.
As the nation’s largest military shipbuilder, and with a more than 135-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII delivers critical capabilities extending from ships to unmanned systems, cyber, ISR, AI/ML and synthetic training. Headquartered in Virginia, HII’s workforce is 44,000 strong. For more information, visit:
- HII on the web: https://www.HII.com/
- HII on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeamHII
- HII on X: https://www.twitter.com/WeAreHII
- HII on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/WeAreHII
About the REMUS UUV
The REMUS UUV family delivers critical advantages across modern naval operations and the autonomous systems have been proven to operate independently or in conjunction with crewed platforms. This includes the recent successful demonstration of the launch and recover of REMUS autonomous undersea vehicles from the torpedo tubes of Virginia-class nuclear submarines. This capability will significantly extend mission range, reduce detection risk, and limit personnel exposure.
The REMUS open-architecture design allows rapid payload integration, enabling mission-specific configurations and future tech insertions, key factors in maintaining operational relevance and cost efficiency over time.
To date, HII has sold more than 700 REMUS vehicles to over 30 countries, including 14 NATO members. Notably, over
About Thales
Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global leader in advanced technologies for the Defence, Aerospace, and Cyber & Digital sectors. Its portfolio of innovative products and services addresses several major challenges: sovereignty, security, sustainability and inclusion.
The Group invests more than
Thales has more than 83,000 employees in 68 countries. In 2024, the Group generated sales of
About Thales SAMDIS Sonar
Thales’ Synthetic Aperture Mine Detection and Imaging Sonar (SAMDIS) is an operationally proven, ultra-high-resolution, multi-view Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS) system that delivers market-leading constant resolution at range, including co-registered bathymetric data. Its unique multi-view capability provides three independent high-resolution views (+30°, 0°, -30°) of a contact in a single pass, offering the critical aspect change needed for accurate seabed contact classification. SAMDIS’ market-leading SAS performance ensures superior mission effectiveness, while the multi-view mode enhances mission efficiency by reducing false alarm rates, minimizing time-consuming interventions, increasing overall mission tempo.
Featuring a modular design, SAMDIS can be integrated with a wide range of vehicles, offering configurable array sizes to optimize performance according to vehicle speed. The system is available in a range of depth-rated options, including deep water. All SAMDIS configurations provide full-resolution data in real-time onboard the vehicle, requiring no post-processing to achieve full resolution. This capability supports enhanced embedded Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) and advanced operating modes, such as circular SAS (C-SAS).
Thales has delivered over 30 SAMDIS systems, with more than 50 on order, to navies including those of the UK, France, Japan, and an Asian Country. These systems meet diverse operational requirements, enabling efficient and effective mine hunting in complex and challenging environments.
| Contacts: | |
| HII Greg McCarthy +1 (202) 264-7126 gregory.j.mccarthy@hii-co.com | Thales Camille Heck +33 (0)6 73 78 33 63 camille.heck@thalesgroup.com |
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1a420115-a134-4bc7-a5fb-d17086f7d328
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