Hanwha and HavocAI pursue partnership focused on unmanned maritime technologies

South Korea’s Hanwha announced on 29 October 2025 that it is exploring strategic co-operation with US-based artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomy specialist HavocAI to accelerate its expansion into the global unmanned maritime systems market, including in the United States.

On 28 October HavocAI CEO Paul Lwin and members of his research team visited Hanwha Ocean’s Geoje Shipyard to review Hanwha’s shipbuilding and maritime systems capabilities. HavocAI then conducted a live demonstration in which a HavocAI-equipped unmanned surface vessel (USV) off the coast of Hawaii was remotely operated from Geoje in South Korea.

Hanwha views this engagement with HavocAI as an important first step toward concrete collaboration and a foundation for proactive entry into the fast-growing global market for autonomous maritime and naval systems.

Building on Hanwha Group’s established presence in naval shipbuilding and defence electronics, Hanwha Ocean and Hanwha Systems have already strengthened their foothold in the US market through the acquisition of Philly Shipyard in 2024.

The two companies now plan to pursue deeper collaboration that merges Hanwha Ocean’s shipbuilding expertise with Hanwha Systems’ platform-integration and advanced naval systems capabilities – including combat management systems, engineering control systems and condition-based maintenance systems – alongside HavocAI’s proven autonomous operation software.

In addition, the comopanies aim to develop practical, scalable solutions that enhance both defence and commercial maritime operations, improve lifecycle efficiency and reduce maintenance costs.

“By combining Hanwha Group’s naval-systems expertise with HavocAI’s autonomy technology, we can extend the operational life and value of existing vessels while enabling faster deployment of new unmanned systems,” Lwin was quoted as stating by Hanwha.

Ryu Moon-Ghee, head of the Naval Business Division at Hanwha Systems, added, “Leveraging Hanwha Systems’ maritime integration capabilities and the synergies of Hanwha’s affiliated companies, we will work closely with HavocAI to achieve tangible progress in entering the global market for autonomous maritime systems.”