Construction of the H38 is scheduled to begin this fall, with testing planned for early next year
Hanwha Defense USA (HDUSA) and autonomous maritime company Magnet Defense plan to begin construction this fall on a new medium unmanned surface vessel. Initial testing of the vessel is expected to start early next year.
HDUSA Chief Executive Officer Michael Coulter said the project is being developed in cooperation with Magnet Defense and will be based on the company’s flagship M48 platform.
H38 to provide a 38-meter modular platform
The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding in April to develop the H38, an unmanned surface vessel measuring approximately 38 meters in length.
The vessel will be based on the M48 design but will feature a smaller overall footprint. Its architecture is intended to support the rapid integration of different payloads and mission modules.
“The Navy is very interested in modular solutions,” Coulter said. “One day the platform may support electronic warfare, another day communications, and another day lethal effects.”
According to Coulter, construction activities will begin soon, while payloads will be tested on other platforms this fall. Testing aboard the H38 is scheduled to begin in January.
M48 completes a 32,000-nautical-mile voyage
The platform serving as the basis for the new vessel has already demonstrated its capabilities in demanding conditions. In 2024, the M48 completed a voyage of approximately 32,000 nautical miles from Miami to American Samoa.
The vessel transited the Panama Canal and operated in extreme maritime conditions, including Sea State 9, one of the most severe sea-state classifications.
The M48 is designed to support a broad range of missions, including integrated air and missile defense, anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, and search-and-rescue operations.
M48 showcased in Washington
Representatives from both companies presented the project aboard an M48 docked at Wharf Marina in Washington. The vessel measures 48 meters in length, while the H38 is expected to be a more compact version of the platform.
The tour provided reporters with a closer look at the vessel’s configuration and the space available for future mission systems.
US Navy accelerates procurement of unmanned vessels
New MUSV marketplace focuses on production-ready platforms
The H38 project comes as the US Navy moves forward with a new marketplace for medium unmanned surface vessels launched in March.
The initiative is designed to shorten procurement timelines by identifying platforms that are already available, ready for production and capable of performing operational missions.
Hanwha considers future competition
When asked whether HDUSA might compete in future iterations of the MUSV marketplace, Kevin Schoonover, the company’s senior vice president for missiles, said the procurement effort is still evolving.
Hanwha is waiting for additional information from the Navy but has made clear that it wants to compete if the opportunity becomes available.
A complete system, not just a vessel
Schoonover emphasized that Hanwha intends to offer more than a standalone maritime platform. The company wants to deliver a complete system designed to support the rapid integration and replacement of mission equipment.
The vessel’s architecture is expected to accommodate a variety of technologies, ranging from directed-energy weapons to missile systems. This flexibility would allow the platform to adapt to changing mission requirements and emerging threats.
Command and control remain critical to distributed operations
Indo-Pacific exercises accelerate military software development
Alongside the development of autonomous platforms, the US Army is testing new command-and-control solutions during exercises in the Indo-Pacific region.
Lightning Surge exercises are designed to convert soldier feedback on next-generation command-and-control systems into operational software updates. The goal is to reduce the time required to implement improvements from years to only a few days.
