Huntington Ingalls Industries acquires autonomy business of Spatial Integrated Systems
January 5, 2021 | AUVSI News
Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) is expanding its unmanned systems capabilities with a highly skilled team and proven USV solutions through its acquisition of the autonomy business of Spatial Integrated Systems Inc. (SIS), which HII announced on Monday, Jan. 4.
The transaction closed on Dec. 31, 2020 and approximately 50 employees from SIS, primarily located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, have joined HII Technical Solutions’ Unmanned Systems business group. HII broke ground on its new HII Unmanned Systems Center of Excellence in nearby Hampton, Virginia in Sept. 2020.
“We are excited to welcome the SIS autonomy business employees to the HII family,” says Andy Green, HII executive vice president and president of Technical 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.”
SIS’s unmanned systems solutions includes multi-vehicle collaborative autonomy, sensor fusion and perception. Fielded for more than 6,000 hours on 23 vessel types, the solutions have supported multiple development projects and demonstrations advancing autonomy in unmanned systems in the maritime, ground and air domains.
“SIS is a leader in autonomous technology, and this acquisition adds significant breadth to our unmanned systems solutions,” says 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.”
SIS’s solutions are actively in use throughout the Department of Defense, coordinating and controlling multiple collaborative unmanned vehicles in the execution of mission applications including intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, harbor patrol, high value unit escort missions, payload delivery, mine clearance, and transporting supplies. SIS’s intelligent, goal-oriented USV solutions follow Unmanned Maritime Autonomy Architecture standards, and they are equipped with proven obstacle avoidance and International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea-compliant behaviors.
- Industry News