McLEAN, Va., (Oct. 3, 2024) — HII (NYSE: HII) announced today that its Mission Technologies division was awarded a task order to conduct research that will enhance the development and evolution of navigation and autonomy technologies for the U.S. Air Force and broader U.S. Department of Defense.

An HII team at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, will develop and analyze research for the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) Autonomy and Navigation Technology (ANT) Center’s three research thrust areas: autonomous and cooperative systems, non-GPS precision navigation, and robust global navigation satellite system navigation/navigation warfare. The team’s findings will help identify and solve some of the most challenging problems in these areas, while laying the groundwork for future groundbreaking technology development.

“This innovative work is vitally important to the future of defense and will have a significant impact on how we navigate in the future,” said Grant Hagen, president of Mission Technologies’ Cyber, Electronic Warfare and Space business group. “We look forward to applying our expertise and continuing our support to AFIT’s forward-looking research in these mission-critical areas.”

Eric Wright, vice president of operations for Mission Technologies’ Cyber, Electronic Warfare and Space business group, added, “The use of autonomy and non-GPS technology to address problems associated with GPS-denied or underground environments, for example, is rapidly evolving, and the ANT Center team is building on a decade of experience to advance AFIT’s mission and find new ways to apply this technology.” 

HII was awarded the task order under the U.S. Department of Defense’s Information Analysis Center (IAC) Multiple Award Contract (MAC) vehicle. These IAC MAC task orders are awarded by the U.S. Air Force’s 774th Enterprise Sourcing Squadron to develop and create new knowledge for the enhancement of the Defense Technical Information Center repository and the research and development and science and technology community.

Most of the work will be performed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. 

About HII

HII is a global, all-domain defense provider. HII’s mission is to deliver the world’s most powerful ships and all-domain solutions in service of the nation, creating the advantage for our customers to protect peace and freedom around the world. As the nation’s largest military shipbuilder, and with a more than 135-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII delivers critical capabilities extending from ships to unmanned systems, cyber, ISR, AI/ML and synthetic training. Headquartered in Virginia, HII’s workforce is 44,000 strong. For more information, visit: