Overview
- DIU issued a memorandum on Tuesday recognizing HII’s Watcher ROMULUS-25 small unmanned surface vessel as having met the PRIME prototype’s key technical goals and success metrics.
- HII and MetalCraft Marine delivered two Watcher ROMULUS-25 vessels and completed extensive at-sea testing in December 2025 that included government-led autonomy assessments, seakeeping, performance, and degraded-environment trials.
- HII describes the ROMULUS-25 as a high-speed interceptor with about 1,000-pound payload capacity and up to 1,000 nautical mile range, and credits its Odyssey Autonomous Control System with mission planning, AI contact recognition, and edge decision-making, though those capability claims are company-reported and not independently verified in the coverage.
- The DIU recognition authorizes HII to pursue a faster procurement route under Other Transaction Authority prototype agreements, but it is not itself a production contract award and does not guarantee funding or delivery timelines.
- PRIME was run under DIU’s Replicator effort and drew 116 industry briefs, and the Watcher success could speed fielding of commercial autonomous USVs for Marine Corps expeditionary missions and prompt scrutiny of autonomy operations, sustainment needs, and rules for operating unmanned vessels in contested waters.