On a cold November day in Ulsan, a 600-ton vessel built to sail without a crew slid into the water before a small crowd of engineers, executives and American officers. That the hull exists at all is a quiet argument about speed: a project that usually takes three years was compressed into one, as two nations' industries tried to see whether machines can be trusted to steer, watch over themselves and decide. Whether this ship becomes part of the navies of the world will be settled far from the shipyard, in American waters, in the coming months.
HD Hyundai and Anduril Launch 600-Ton Unmanned Vessel ASV Alpha, Eyeing U.S. Navy MUSV Program
Software now handles the response as well
Mark
Why does a 600-ton boat launched in Ulsan deserve attention?
Mimi
It's the first unmanned surface vessel South Korean and U.S. companies have jointly developed and completed, and it moves a major shipbuilder from manned warships into autonomous ones.
Mark
The timeline seems central. A year instead of three?
Mimi
Yes. They bought equipment that could be sourced fast, then designed the hull around it. Design, hull construction and integration took about three months each.
Luke
Worth noting that the one-year figure and the three-year norm come from the company's own account. Nothing independent confirms them.
Mark
And the technology split?
Mimi
HD Hyundai's VAone runs the ship and its engines and damage response. Anduril's Lattice handles missions, sensors and weapons.
Luke
Kim Hyung-taek says HD Hyundai is the only one with that engine-response function. That's a company claim, and the reporting doesn't test it.
Mark
What about the Navy program?
Mimi
They'll propose it for MUSV, with at least 10 rivals reportedly competing. U.S. waters testing in the first half of next year is the key step.
Luke
Reportedly is doing work there. The ship hasn't done sea trials yet, so how it performs is unknown. Nor is it known whether the Navy will pick it.
Mark
So the revenue goal is a separate thread?
Mimi
Yes, 10 trillion won by 2035 is HD Hyundai's own target, and this vessel is one part of it.
Der Puls
- A 600-ton ship launched in Ulsan with no crew aboard, built in a single year where the industry norm is three.
- Two autonomy systems must prove they can work as one: VAone steers the hull and monitors its engines, while Anduril's Lattice decides the mission.
- The partners race a tight schedule of sea trials, a voyage to the United States, and performance verification due in the first half of next year.
- The U.S. Navy's MUSV bid is crowded, with at least ten rivals, and the outcome hinges on how the ship performs in American waters.
On a cold November day in Ulsan, a 600-ton vessel built to sail without a crew slid into the water before a small crowd of engineers, executives and American officers. That the hull exists at all is a quiet argument about speed: a project that usually takes three years was compressed into one, as two nations' industries tried to see whether machines can be trusted to steer, watch over themselves and decide. Whether this ship becomes part of the navies of the world will be settled far from the shipyard, in American waters, in the coming months.
On the 12th, about seventy people gathered at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan to watch a 600-ton ship enter the water with no crew planned for it. The Autonomous Surface Vessel Alpha was developed jointly by HD Hyundai and the U.S. defense company Anduril, and it is the first unmanned surface vessel the two countries' companies have built and completed together.
The guest list reflected the weight of the moment. HD Hyundai's president, Joo Won-ho, attended alongside Anduril's chief operating officer and senior leaders from Anduril Korea, as well as officials from U.S. Forces Korea and the U.S. Embassy.
The speed of the project is central to the story. The companies signed a contract in November of last year and launched roughly a year later, where ships usually take about three years from design to sea trials. The team chose equipment that could be procured quickly and designed the vessel around it, with design, hull construction and system integration each taking about three months.
Two software systems do the thinking. VAone, developed in-house, handles engines, damage control and navigation, and can steer a hull whose size and inertia make it hard to control. Anduril's Lattice assigns and changes missions and commands sensors and weapons. The design is modular, so each customer can fit the sensors and weapons it wants.
The ship is expected to handle reconnaissance and surveillance, with long endurance, and could ease staffing pressure, since a manned vessel of this class usually carries about fifty crew. After about three months of trials in Ulsan, it will sail to the United States early next year for testing, with performance verification due in the first half of the year. The partners plan to pitch it for the Navy's Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel program, where at least ten competitors are reportedly in the running.
The launch also fits a larger ambition. HD Hyundai aims to raise its defense revenue to 10 trillion won a year by 2035, from roughly 1 to 2 trillion today. What may decide the next orders is how the vessel performs in U.S. waters.
On the 12th, about 70 people gathered at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan to watch a 600-ton ship go into the water with no crew planned for it. The vessel, called Autonomous Surface Vessel (ASV) Alpha, was developed jointly with the U.S. defense company Anduril. HD Hyundai announced the launch on the 15th and described it as the first unmanned surface vessel that South Korean and American companies have developed and completed together.
The guest list gave the event its weight. Joo Won-ho, president of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, attended, as did Matt Grimm, Anduril's chief operating officer, and Shane Arnott, senior vice president of Anduril's Maritime and Maneuver Systems division. John Kim, CEO of Anduril Korea, was there too, along with other company officials and personnel from U.S. Forces Korea and the U.S. Embassy in South Korea.
The speed of the project is a large part of the story. The two companies signed a contract in November last year covering design, construction and AI solution supply, so the ship was launched about a year later. Ships typically take around three years to get from design to sea trials. To hit a one-year target, the team first chose equipment that could be procured quickly and then designed the vessel around it. Design, hull construction and system integration each took about three months.
Two software systems do the thinking. VAone is the total ship autonomy solution developed in-house at HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering. It combines an engine autonomy system, a damage autonomy solution and navigation automation technology from Avikus. Anduril contributes Lattice, its mission autonomy software, which assigns and changes missions remotely and commands sensors and weapons. Put simply, VAone moves the ship and watches its internal condition, while Lattice decides what the ship is doing. Together they are meant to automate navigation, engines, damage control and weapons operation.
Kim Hyung-taek, managing director and head of the Naval Technology Center at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, pointed to the engine side. VAone inspects engines and generators, detects anomalies and responds to them. In the past, he said, a person judged the risk when an alarm sounded; now software handles the response too, and he said the company is the only one with a product that does this. Because a 600-ton hull has large inertia and water resistance and can stray well off course when turning, VAone calculates the ship's motion and steers an optimal path. The source likens it to full self-driving at sea. The design is also modular, so mission equipment can be swapped. Arnott said every country wants different sensors and weapons, and that the system can integrate whatever each one chooses.
The vessel is expected to handle reconnaissance, surveillance and maritime intelligence gathering, with long endurance as the U.S. Navy requires. A manned ship of this class carries about 50 crew, so the potential relief to Navy staffing is significant.
The schedule ahead is tight. ASV Alpha will spend about three months on sea trials and finishing work off Ulsan, then ship to the United States early next year for test operations. Final integration of the mission autonomy system will happen there, performance verification is to be finished in the first half of next year, and a demonstration for U.S. Navy officials follows. The companies plan to propose the vessel for the Navy's Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) program, with Anduril leading in the U.S. and the two firms pursuing other markets together. If selected, the ship would be built at a U.S. shipyard. At least 10 competitors are reportedly in the running, and the partners are betting on the breadth of their autonomy features. They are also eyeing Europe, the Middle East and AUKUS countries, and are sharing progress with the South Korean Navy.
The launch fits a wider ambition. HD Hyundai wants to lift defense revenue, now roughly 1 trillion to 2 trillion won a year (about $748.4 million to $1.5 billion), to 10 trillion won (about $7.5 billion) by 2035. The plan includes prioritizing export vessels once Aegis destroyers leave the dock, using four large docks from the former HD Hyundai Mipo, building more icebreakers and test ships for the Agency for Defense Development, expanding the submarine plant, and raising Ulsan capacity two to three times. Abroad, it is using local construction in Peru as a foothold, supplying design and construction know-how, and preparing a maintenance, repair and overhaul business in the Philippines. What decides the orders, the source suggests, is the verification in U.S. waters in the first half of next year.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Traditionally a person judged the level of risk when an alarm sounded, but now software handles the response as well.— Kim Hyung-taek, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Naval Technology Center
Every country demands different sensors and weapons systems, and the system can flexibly integrate what each wants.— Shane Arnott, Anduril senior vice president
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