HII and Thales Successfully Demonstrate Expeditionary PathMaster's Ability to Deliver an End-to-End Autonomous Mine Countermeasure Mission

POCASSET, Mass., Nov. 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HII (NYSE: HII), America’s largest military shipbuilder and the global leader in autonomous seapower, and Thales, a global leader in advanced technologies, have successfully demonstrated an end-to-end autonomous mine countermeasure capability.

This demonstration leveraged Thales’ Expeditionary Pathmaster, an open and modular expeditionary mine countermeasure architecture designed to integrate autonomous platforms, sensors, mission management systems and effectors from multiple providers into a unified operational framework.

Through this architecture, HII’s REMUS 620 unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV), alongside sensors, mission management tools and neutralization capabilities from multiple providers, was integrated into a single end-to-end operational workflow spanning mine detection, classification and neutralization.

Photos accompanying this release are available at: https://www.hii.com/news/hii-and-thales-successfully-demonstrate-expeditionary-pathmasters-ability-to-deliver-an-end-to-end-autonomous-mine-countermeasure-mission.

The demonstration was conducted using Thales’ Expeditionary Portable Operation Center (ePOC), a rapidly deployable command and control system designed to support expeditionary mine warfare operations. Acting as the operational hub, the ePOC hosted Thales’ Mission Management System and sonar data analysis software, integrated with HII’s REMUS 620 UUV, HII’s Odyssey mission management solution and Thales’ Advanced Acoustic Concepts’ ANGLER mine neutralization capability.

The REMUS 620 is HII’s next-generation medium-class UUV, designed for long-range, multi-day operations with a modular, open architecture that enables the integration of mission-specific payloads and sensors. HII’s Odyssey Mission command and control enable mission planning and management, while supporting increasingly collaborative operations across unmanned platforms.

Together, these technologies demonstrated a complete “Find, Fix, Finish” mission chain of mine countermeasure operations:

• FIND: HII REMUS 620 UUV, integrated with the Thales SAMDIS 600 multi-aspect sonar, autonomously searches the undersea environment to detect potential mine threats, controlled by HII’s command and control (C2) software which interfaces with the Thales ePOC.
• FIX: Detected contacts were analyzed using Thales’ software, which combines high-resolution multi-aspect sonar imagery with AI-enabled Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) capabilities, enabling operators to classify and localize mine-like objects, thus building the tactical picture required for operational decision-making.
• FINISH: Thales AAC’s ANGLER underwater effector and Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) concluded the mission chain by completing rapid re-acquisition of the mine-like objects, visual identification of the mine threat, ultimately providing the means to engage and neutralize the identified mine.
  
  

All mission assets were successfully coordinated through the Expeditionary PathMaster environment, leveraging Thales’ mission management system within ePOC to provide operators with a unified operational picture and consistent command and control throughout the mission.

The demonstration included the automated launch and recovery of the REMUS UUV, equipped with Thales’ SAMDIS 600 Multi-Aspect Synthetic Aperture Sonar, using HII’s Sea Launcher system.

The exercise also highlighted Expeditionary PathMaster’s open architecture, which enabled Thales to integrate HII’s autonomous underwater systems and ANGLER’s neutralization capability into a common, NATO-compliant mission environment. This approach allows allied navies to combine capabilities from multiple suppliers while maintaining operational coherence.

“Bringing “Find, Fix and Finish” together demonstrates what is possible when proven unmanned platforms, advanced sensors, autonomy and effectors are designed to operate as an integrated system,” said Duane Fotheringham, president of HII’s Unmanned Systems group. “This demonstration advances our work with Thales from sensor integration to a complete mine countermeasure mission capability. 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.”

Building on HII and Thales’ successful 2025 integration and field exercise of the SAMDIS 600 sonar aboard the REMUS 620, the latest demonstration expanded beyond sensor integration and underwater performance to encompass mission management, AI-assisted exploitation and mine neutralization within a unified system.

Sébastien Guérémy, vice-president, Underwater Systems, Thales stated, "This demonstration alongside HII, a leading American partner, illustrates Thales’ ability to work with the best international players to address the critical challenges of mine warfare. Thales’ mine countermeasures solutions, such as Expeditionary PathMaster, has again proven that it can integrate autonomous platforms, advanced sensors, mission management and neutralization systems into a single AI-powered operational framework."

As threats and mission requirements evolve, this demonstration underscores HII and Thales’ shared commitment to modular, interoperable and autonomous solutions that allow naval customers to rapidly integrate new sensors, platforms, autonomy and effectors.

About Thales

Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global leader in advanced technologies for the Defence, Aerospace, and Cyber & Digital sectors. Its portfolio of innovative products and services helps address several major challenges: sovereignty, security, sustainability and inclusion.

The Group allocates €4.5 billion per year in Research & Development in key areas, particularly for critical environments, such as Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Quantum and Cloud technologies. Thales has more than 85,000 employees in 65 countries. In 2025, the Group generated sales of €22.1 billion.

About Thales in the U.S. 

For more than a century, Thales has delivered proven, trusted and secure solutions to customers across the United States. The company brings a strong national footprint and a deeply skilled workforce dedicated to anticipating and exceeding customer needs. Backed by extensive manufacturing capabilities, Thales works closely with customers and local industries to solve complex challenges for every operational environment.   

About HII

HII is America's Seapower Company. The nation’s largest shipbuilder, HII builds the manned and unmanned maritime systems and all-domain mission technologies that project U.S. and allied power around the world. With a more than 140-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII is headquartered in Virginia and employs 45,000 people across three divisions. For more information, visit:

• HII on the web: https://www.HII.com/
• HII on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeamHII
• HII on X: https://www.twitter.com/WeAreHII
• HII on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/WeAreHII
• HII on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearehii
  
  

Contact HII: 
Greg McCarthy
+00 (1) 202 264 7126
gregory.j.mccarthy@hii-co.com

Contacts Thales: 
Camille Heck
+33 (0)6 73 78 33 63
camille.heck@thalesgroup.com

Jennifer Tumminio
+00 (1) 571 969 0730
Jennifer.tumminio@thalesgroup.com 

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0f952abe-b254-49aa-b978-d2ccfa7db206