Huntington Ingalls Industries acquires SIS autonomy business

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has acquired the autonomy business of Spatial Integrated Systems Inc. (SIS), indicating the acquisition expands HII’s unmanned systems capabilities with unmanned surface vessel (USV) solutions.

“We are excited to welcome the SIS autonomy business employees to the HII family,” Andy Green, HII executive vice president and president of Technical Solutions, said, adding 2020 was a significant year for HII in the unmanned systems industry. “And this acquisition is the perfect complement to our existing portfolio and strategic partnerships.”

The SIS unmanned systems solutions, which include multi-vehicle collaborative autonomy, sensor fusion, and perception, have been fielded for more than 6,000 hours on 23 vessel types. It supports multiple development projects and demonstrations advancing autonomy in unmanned systems in the maritime, ground, and air domains.

“I am pleased that HII will carry on SIS’s vision to deliver advanced autonomy to our armed forces in support of our national interest,” Ali Farsaie, CEO and founder of SIS, said.

The transaction closed on Dec. 31, 2020, officials said, and approximately 50 employees from SIS, primarily located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, have joined HII Technical Solutions’ Unmanned Systems business group.

“SIS is a leader in autonomous technology, and this acquisition adds significant breadth to our unmanned systems solutions,” Duane Fotheringham, president of Technical Solutions’ Unmanned Systems business group, said. “This technology and the talented team provide unmatched capabilities in multi-domain collaborative autonomy and perception, allowing HII to uniquely address our customers’ needs.”