Huntington Ingalls Industries has entered seven-year performance-based production agreements worth up to $900 million with GrayMatter Robotics and Path Robotics to accelerate physical AI and automation in US Navy shipbuilding. The High-Yield Production Robotics programme will introduce robotic welding, automated material handling, surface treatment and quality inspection into production lines for crewed and uncrewed naval platforms. The initiative responds to shortages of skilled workers, ageing infrastructure, limited space and production delays at US shipyards. HYPR is designed to automate structural manufacturing from cutting and fitting through welding, treatment, inspection and coating. HII plans proof-of-concept demonstrations in 2026 and a full pilot in 2027. During development, the companies will qualify autonomous technologies for Navy-standard production. In the delivery phase, HII will allocate work according to cost, schedule and quality, beginning with smaller steel structures before expanding to larger modules. The effort supports wider plans to expand US shipbuilding capacity and increase the naval fleet.
