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Tag: U.S. Navy

  • Robotics Recap: KONGSBERG’s $54M AUV Deal, HII’s First ROMULUS Robot Ship, Boaty McBoatface and Walmart’s ~$6B Symbotic Deal

    Robotics Recap: KONGSBERG’s $54M AUV Deal, HII’s First ROMULUS Robot Ship, Boaty McBoatface and Walmart’s ~$6B Symbotic Deal

    By Zip Robotic · November 1, 2026

    Four stories from October 28–31, from the deep sea to the loading dock. Underwater robots for the U.S. military, the Navy’s first ROMULUS robot ship, Boaty McBoatface scouting for offshore wind, and Walmart’s roughly $6 billion warehouse robot commitment.

    1. KONGSBERG wins $54M to deliver more underwater robots

    On October 29, KONGSBERG said its Prototype Other Transaction Agreement with the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit (which KONGSBERG calls the Department of War Innovation Unit) was modified by $54 million, driven mainly by the delivery of a broad range of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) plus associated underwater components. KONGSBERG did not say which models or how many. “This contract continues our collaboration with DIU and the US Navy and reflects confidence in KONGSBERG’s autonomous underwater technology,” said CEO Eirik Lie.

    Why it matters: Camilla Kiss, president of KONGSBERG’s Discovery division, says the company has signed NOK 1.7 billion in AUV contracts across all markets so far in 2026. Demand for underwater robots is now steady business, not one-off trials.

    Source: KONGSBERG, Oct 29, 2026

    2. HII’s first ROMULUS robot ship gets its hull plaque

    HII said on October 28 that it had held a ceremony the day before in New Iberia, Louisiana, installing a commemorative hull plaque on the first-in-class ROMULUS 151 unmanned surface vessel. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, Vice Adm. Michael Wosje, HII CEO Chris Kastner and Breaux Brothers Enterprises President Brannon Breaux attended. The U.S. Navy recently contracted HII to build 10 ROMULUS 151 vessels under its Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) program, with Louisiana partners Breaux Brothers, Halimar Shipyard and Bayou Metal Supply & Manufacturing. ROMULUS is built for missions including surveillance, mine countermeasures and launching and recovering underwater and aerial drones.

    Why it matters: In 13 days of Navy-monitored testing in the Gulf, HII’s Odyssey autonomy completed a 420-nautical-mile, 28-hour mission. The Navy is moving robot ships from experiments to fleet-scale production.

    Source: HII, Oct 28, 2026

    3. Boaty McBoatface goes scouting for offshore wind

    On October 29, the UK’s National Oceanography Centre said its Autosub Long Range (ALR1500), better known as Boaty McBoatface, tested a new suite of sensors off Plymouth. The upgraded payload let researchers map fish and zooplankton, record underwater sound and capture detailed images of plankton. Near real-time satellite data showed where ocean fronts were, and pilots on shore steered Boaty toward them over the horizon. The trial is part of Frontline, a £3.5 million project funded by NERC and The Crown Estate, with the University of Plymouth, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, HiDef Aerial Surveying and Kongsberg.

    Why it matters: Floating offshore wind is heading into deeper water, and nobody fully knows how those structures affect the ocean fronts where fish, seabirds and marine mammals feed. Bigger Celtic Sea surveys are planned for 2027.

    Source: National Oceanography Centre, Oct 29, 2026

    4. Walmart commits about $6B more to Symbotic’s robots

    On October 29, Symbotic and Walmart announced an expanded agreement to bring more Symbotic automation to 25 U.S. regional distribution centers, plus opportunities across Walmart’s global supply chain. The deal includes an initial commitment of about $6 billion in spend over several years across multiple locations. Symbotic’s system now includes its BreakPack each-picking and SymMicro micro-fulfillment products. “Our partnership with Walmart started with a single product over a decade ago,” said Symbotic CEO Rick Cohen.

    Why it matters: Walmart’s Rob Montgomery says the work helps it improve service, grow capacity, simplify work for associates and lower costs. A multi-year, multi-billion-dollar commitment shows warehouse robots moving from pilots to core infrastructure.

    Source: Symbotic, Oct 29, 2026

    Also noted

    • Agility Robotics and Churchill Capital Corp XI said on Oct 30 they expect about $465 million in gross proceeds from their merger, with a shareholder vote on Nov 2, closing expected Nov 4 and trading on Nasdaq as “AGLT” expected from Nov 5. Agility Robotics, Oct 30, 2026
    • Elbit Systems said on Oct 29 it will show its uncrewed underwater vehicles for the first time at Euronaval 2026, building on its acquisition of ISE, which has delivered more than 250 vehicles to over 20 countries. Elbit Systems, Oct 29, 2026

    The pattern

    Autonomy is going to work: underwater robots on contract, robot ships in production, a research sub on survey duty and warehouse robots on a multi-year buildout. Which move matters most? Tell us on X @ZipRobotic.

    Roundups every Wednesday and Sunday at ziprobotic.com.

    Sources

    • KONGSBERG, “KONGSBERG secures US government contract for underwater capabilities,” Oct 29, 2026 — https://www.kongsberg.com/news/news-archive/2026/kongsberg-secures-us-government-contract-for-underwater-capabilities/
    • HII, “HII Celebrates ROMULUS Unmanned Surface Vessel Production Progress for U.S. Navy in Louisiana,” Oct 28, 2026 — https://www.hii.com/news/hii-celebrates-romulus-unmanned-surface-vessel-production-progress-for-us-navy-in-louisiana
    • National Oceanography Centre, “NOC’s Autosub Long Range tests new ocean monitoring technologies for floating offshore wind,” Oct 29, 2026 — https://www.noc.ac.uk/news/nocs-autosub-long-range-tests-new-ocean-monitoring-technologies-floating-offshore-wind
    • Symbotic, “Walmart and Symbotic Expand Commercial Agreement to Support Supply Chain Transformation,” Oct 29, 2026 — https://www.symbotic.com/news/walmart-and-symbotic-expand-commercial-agreement-to-support-supply-chain-transformation/
    • Agility Robotics, expected ~$465M gross capital raise and anticipated closing of business combination with Churchill Capital Corp XI, Oct 30, 2026 — https://www.agilityrobotics.com/content/agility-robotics-and-churchill-capital-corp-xi-announce-expected-gross-capital-raise-of-approximately-465-million-and-anticipated-closing-of-business-combination
    • Elbit Systems, Euronaval 2026 UUV announcement, Oct 29, 2026 — https://www.elbitsystems.com/news/euronaval-2026-elbit-systems-present-uuv-capabilities-first-time

    Images: KONGSBERG (HUGIN Endurance), HII (ROMULUS 151 hull), National Oceanography Centre (Autosub Long Range), Symbotic (system render). Used from each organisation’s own press materials and website.

  • Robotics Recap: Saildrone Wins Its MUSV Protest, HII and Thales Hunt Mines End to End, GREYSHARK Enters Production, Tutor Raises $75M

    Robotics Recap: Saildrone Wins Its MUSV Protest, HII and Thales Hunt Mines End to End, GREYSHARK Enters Production, Tutor Raises $75M

    By Zip Robotic · November 4, 2026

    Four stories from November 1–3, from the courtroom to the seabed. A court win that reopens the Navy’s robot-boat race, a robot mine hunt run start to finish, a drone sub moving into production, and $75 million for robots that customers rent by the hour.

    1. Saildrone wins its Navy robot-boat protest

    On November 2, Saildrone said Judge Hadji of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims had set aside the Navy’s decision to exclude it from the Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) competition. The Navy must promptly reevaluate Saildrone’s proposal under the same criteria used for the other competitors. According to Saildrone, the Navy dropped two of its three non-compliance findings during the case, and the court rejected the third as arbitrary and capricious. “The future of naval warfare will be fought on the water, not in a courtroom,” said founder and CEO Richard Jenkins. “This ruling is a win for fair competition, for taxpayers, and for national security.”

    Why it matters: Until the reevaluation is done, the Navy can’t commit more than $1.5 billion of the program’s $2.1 billion to production. MUSV is already moving: HII, whose first ROMULUS 151 robot ship we covered on Sunday, is under contract to build 10 for the program (HII, Oct 28).

    Source: Saildrone, Nov 2, 2026

    2. HII and Thales run a robot mine hunt end to end

    On November 3, HII and Thales said they had demonstrated an end-to-end autonomous mine countermeasure mission using Thales’ Expeditionary PathMaster, an open architecture that ties robots, sensors, software and effectors from different suppliers into one workflow. It ran from Thales’ Expeditionary Portable Operation Center (ePOC). Find: HII’s REMUS 620 drone sub, carrying Thales’ SAMDIS 600 multi-aspect synthetic aperture sonar, searched for mine threats. Fix: Thales software with AI-enabled automatic target recognition helped operators classify and locate mine-like objects. Finish: Thales AAC’s ANGLER underwater robot re-acquired and visually identified them, providing the means to neutralize. HII’s Sea Launcher handled automated launch and recovery of the REMUS.

    Why it matters: HII and Thales’ 2025 work integrated the sonar on the drone sub; this demo connected detection, classification and neutralization in one NATO-compliant system that can mix suppliers. “Together, we are giving naval forces a path to conduct these demanding missions faster, at greater scale and with sailors farther from the mine threat,” said Duane Fotheringham, president of HII’s Unmanned Systems group.

    Source: HII, Nov 3, 2026

    3. GREYSHARK drone sub moves into series production

    At Euronaval 2026 in Paris on November 3, EUROATLAS and EvoLogics unveiled the first series-production GREYSHARK autonomous underwater vehicle, two years after the prototype debuted at Euronaval 2024. The bio-inspired, roughly 6-meter sub cruises at 10 knots and covers about 300 nautical miles at 4 knots on battery power, with 3–5 days of endurance. A fuel-cell version is next. Several units can work as a swarm over encrypted S2C acoustic links, for intelligence and surveillance, mine countermeasures and protecting critical undersea infrastructure. EvoLogics managing director Fabian Bannasch called the start of series production “a crucial milestone.”

    Why it matters: The companies say orders are secured from European government customers, with first deliveries before the end of 2026. Long-range drone subs for mine hunting and guarding critical undersea infrastructure are moving from prototypes to fleets.

    Source: EvoLogics, Nov 3, 2026

    4. Tutor Intelligence raises $75M for robots paid by the hour

    On November 2, Watertown, Massachusetts-based Tutor Intelligence announced a $75 million Series B led by Andreessen Horowitz, with Union Square Ventures and Neo participating, bringing its total funding to $117 million. Tutor builds and runs its own robots: Cassie for case picking and palletizing and the two-armed Sonny for picking individual items. Customers pay by the hour or by the pick, with no upfront purchase or long-term contract, and remote human “tutors” step in when needed, which helps train Tutor’s AI models. The company says it now serves almost four times as many facilities as a year ago, and nearly a third of customers who received Tutor robots in the past 12 months were existing customers adding more. “We can hardly build robots fast enough,” said CEO Josh Gruenstein.

    Why it matters: Tutor says it is on track for more than 1,000 robots under contract by the end of 2027, built in and deployed from the U.S. “Tutor’s insight is that deployment isn’t just the destination for robotics research—it’s how you overcome its limitations,” said Raghu Raghuram, managing partner at Andreessen Horowitz.

    Source: Tutor Intelligence via Business Wire, Nov 2, 2026; Andreessen Horowitz, Nov 2, 2026

    Also noted

    • KNDS and SeaOwl said at Euronaval on Nov 3 they will develop a surface drone armed with a next-generation naval loitering munition carrying a KNDS-qualified warhead: 35 knots, a 30 kg payload and up to 200 km combat range, with the decision to engage left to a remote operator. KNDS, Nov 3, 2026
    • AGIBOT unveiled its GO-3 Preview embodied AI model on Nov 3, saying it ranks first on the RoboDojo, RoboTwin and RoboColiseum benchmarks and will be fully open-sourced by the end of 2026. AGIBOT, Nov 3, 2026

    The pattern

    From demos to deliveries: a court reopens a $2.1 billion robot-boat program, a full robot mine hunt runs in one system, a drone sub heads to government customers and a robot startup raises money to build faster. Which move matters most? Tell us on X @ZipRobotic.

    Roundups every Wednesday and Sunday at ziprobotic.com.

    Sources

    • Saildrone, “Saildrone Wins MUSV Protest in the US Court of Federal Claims,” Nov 2, 2026 — https://www.saildrone.com/media-room/press-releases/saildrone-wins-musv-protest-in-the-us-court-of-federal-claims
    • HII, “HII and Thales Successfully Demonstrate Expeditionary PathMaster’s Ability to Deliver an End-to-End Autonomous Mine Countermeasure Mission,” Nov 3, 2026 — https://www.hii.com/news/hii-and-thales-successfully-demonstrate-expeditionary-pathmasters-ability-to-deliver-an-end-to-end-autonomous-mine-countermeasure-mission
    • HII, “HII Celebrates ROMULUS Unmanned Surface Vessel Production Progress for U.S. Navy in Louisiana,” Oct 28, 2026 — https://www.hii.com/news/hii-celebrates-romulus-unmanned-surface-vessel-production-progress-for-us-navy-in-louisiana
    • EvoLogics, “GREYSHARK in series production,” Nov 3, 2026 — https://www.evologics.com/news/greyshark-in-series-production
    • Tutor Intelligence, “Tutor Intelligence Raises $75 Million Series B Led by Andreessen Horowitz…,” Business Wire, Nov 2, 2026 — https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261102314852/en/Tutor-Intelligence-Raises-%2475-Million-Series-B-Led-by-Andreessen-Horowitz-to-Scale-Frontier-Robotics-Model-Training-Manufacturing-and-Deployment
    • Andreessen Horowitz, “Investing in Tutor Intelligence,” Nov 2, 2026 — https://a16z.com/announcement/investing-in-tutor-intelligence/
    • KNDS, “Euronaval 2026: KNDS and SeaOwl partner to develop a surface drone equipped with a next-generation naval loitering munition,” Nov 3, 2026 — https://knds.com/en/press-releases/euronaval-2026-knds-and-seaowl-partner-to-develop-a-surface-drone-equipped-with-a-next-generation-naval-loitering-munition
    • AGIBOT, “AGIBOT Unveils GO-3 Preview…,” PR Newswire, Nov 3, 2026 — https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/agibot-unveils-go-3-preview-takes-top-spot-on-three-embodied-ai-benchmarks-302927277.html

    Images: HII (REMUS 620 with Thales SAMDIS 600 on deck), Saildrone (Spectre renderings), © Euroatlas GmbH (GREYSHARK), Tutor Intelligence (Sonny). Used from each organisation’s own press materials and website.