HII (NYSE: HII) received a contract from the Defense Innovation Unit to develop a submarine Torpedo Tube Launch and Recovery system for deploying and recovering REMUS unmanned underwater vehicles from U.S. Navy submarines, the company announced.

The system enables autonomous deployment and recovery of HII's REMUS unmanned underwater vehicle from submarines through torpedo tubes. HII has delivered more than 750 REMUS vehicles to over 30 countries, including 14 NATO members, with more than 90% remaining in service after more than two decades.

The contract follows successful testing milestones in 2025. In June 2025, the U.S. Navy and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution conducted the first forward-deployed torpedo tube launch and recovery of a REMUS 600 UUV from the USS Delaware, a Virginia-class submarine. The operation included three fully autonomous launch and recovery sorties through the submarine's torpedo tube without diver assistance.

In July 2025, a joint team from HII, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the U.S. Navy's Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport completed the first recovery of the REMUS 620 into a Virginia-class submarine torpedo tube test fixture at Seneca Lake, New York.

"This contract award reflects HII's 25-year leadership in advancing autonomous unmanned maritime platforms and integrating them into submarine operations," said Duane Fotheringham, president of the Unmanned Systems group in HII's Mission Technologies division.

HII operates as one of two builders of U.S. nuclear-powered submarines and describes itself as the world's largest producer of unmanned underwater vehicles. The Virginia-based company employs 44,000 people.