Huntington Ingalls Breaks Ground for Unmanned Systems Center of Excellence

Huntington Ingalls leaders and Virginia officials have led the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Unmanned Systems Center of Excellence in Hampton. 

Two buildings totaling more than 150,000 square feet will be built on the 20-acre campus and will be meant for unmanned systems prototyping, production and testing, the company said Tuesday. 

The first 22,000-square-foot building will be finished in the fourth quarter of 2020. The main 135,000 square-foot-facility is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2021.

Andy Green, HII executive vice president and president for technical solutions, a Potomac Officers Club member and a 2020 Wash100 winner, said the organization is committed to investing in and expanding its unmanned systems services to meet the U.S. Navy’s increasing demand for the technology. 

“Our new Unmanned Systems Center of Excellence will ensure we can continue to provide our customers with the most advanced autonomous systems across all class sizes,” he said. 

Situated on the Hampton Roads Center – North Campus, the center will feature an advanced digital manufacturing infrastructure. The site will be reconfigurable for various production and systems integration projects and will contain precision-machining capabilities, a surface finishing area and a dedicated welding space.

The HII project is in collaboration with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, the city of Hampton and the Hampton Roads Alliance. 

Ralph Northam, governor of Virginia, said the state is home to the nation’s biggest military shipbuilder and HII’s investment will benefit its workers and business environment.

“The company’s new unmanned systems facility in Hampton will support America’s national security and play a key role in strengthening our economic recovery as we continue working to rebound from this health crisis,” he said.

The ceremony was also attended by Virginia Secretary for Commerce and Trade Brian Ball; Hampton Mayor Donnie R. Tuck; Hampton Economic Development Director Chuck Rigney Sr., and Rob Brown, president at Robert Brown & Associates.

Duane Fotheringham, president for HII Technical Solutions’ unmanned systems business group, said the new campus complements the company’s current facilities in Massachusetts, Florida and Washington. 

“In order to manufacture and support large and extra-large UUVs, the size of the manufacturing operation needs to increase significantly. This new facility will give us the space and infrastructure we need to scale our operations to meet the needs of our customers now and into the future,” he said.