At Sea-Air-Space 2026 HII Celebrates Manufacturing Job Creation, Expansion of U.S. Shipbuilding Industrial Base
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md., April 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HII (NYSE: HII) joined shipbuilding partners from six states at the U.S. Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space Exposition 2026 to highlight a clear message: With the support of its U.S. Navy customer, HII is actively working to meet the growing and urgent demand for ships by increasing the share of shipbuilding work it distributes to partner companies across the country, helping to improve schedule performance and expand the U.S. maritime industrial base.
The strategy expands shipbuilding capacity by the equivalent of more than 1,000 additional jobs, in 11 states, and utilizing 25 locations, in the job of building warships for the U.S. Navy.
“Shipbuilding is a broad-based team effort in support of our customers’ mission to protect peace and freedom across the globe,” HII CEO and President Chris Kastner said. “I am proud that in partnership with the U.S. Navy, HII has expanded the team of companies and states that actively participate in the critical work of shipbuilding. Early indications are that this strategy is working to improve schedule performance, as our Navy customer expects.”
Through distributed shipbuilding and other efforts, HII increased shipbuilding throughput 14% in 2025 and is targeting similar gains in 2026, in support of construction schedules.
How Distributed Shipbuilding Works
Under its , HII has extended construction of major structural units and modules beyond its two primary shipyards in Newport News, Virginia, and Pascagoula, Mississippi to partners in regions of the country with available facility capacity and skilled labor. Units and modules are being fabricated at partner facilities with close collaboration and oversight from HII, and then delivered to HII shipyards ready for integration.
In 2026, HII plans to outsource more than 2.5 million hours of shipbuilding work, a 30% increase from 2025, while expanding its structural assembly network of assembly partner companies, enabling more work to be completed outside the shipyard before final assembly.
HII’s growing network of manufacturing partners include:
- Trident Maritime Systems, working across Michigan, Virginia and Louisiana, builds aircraft carrier (CVN) units for Newport News Shipbuilding and Arleigh Burke-class Flight III destroyer (DDG) units for Ingalls Shipbuilding.
“From aircraft carriers to destroyers and beyond, we’re proud to contribute important units for HII’s shipbuilding programs,” said Joe Mullen, chief executive officer of Trident Maritime Systems. “The capacity and capability to fully support HII and ultimately the U.S. Navy is here in the United States — in American facilities, with American workers, and with a quality record that grows stronger every day. Trident is committed to expanding that capacity and being the partner our customers turn to when they are looking for solutions.”
- Gulf Copper, based in Texas, builds DDG units for Ingalls Shipbuilding.
“Partnering with HII to support the Flight III destroyer program is a privilege and a strong endorsement of our workforce’s ability to execute complex projects,” said Leonard Hale, executive vice president of Gulf Copper. “Being a leading supplier of outfitted hull modules illustrates HII’s trust in our capabilities and underscores the strength of our collaboration and our shared commitment to delivering for the U.S. Navy.”
- Keel, working across Michigan and South Carolina, builds submarine modules alongside CVN units for Newport News Shipbuilding.
“Supporting HII’s nuclear-powered carriers and submarines is critical to the security of our country,” said Brian Carter, chief executive officer of Keel. “Our work with HII is integral to our commitment to building a safer future by delivering advanced manufacturing solutions and precision module fabrication to our nation’s highest-priority defense programs.”
Photos accompanying this release are available at: .
Delivering Ships Faster for the Fleet
A visible example is Thad Chochran (DDG 135), built at Ingalls Shipbuilding. Even before the ship’s keel-laying in October of 2025, the first of the outsourced structural units had already arrived at the shipyard.
“This is what success looks like on the deckplate,” Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Blanchette said. “We are leveraging the skilled workforce along the Gulf Coast to build and outfit units in their facilities. These major ship sections arrive ready to be erected, so we can focus our workforce and our facility on the work only a major shipyard can do, and accelerate production.”
A typical Arleigh Burke-class destroyer includes approximately 77 structural units, and historically fewer than five units have been outsourced. HII now plans for 37 units to be produced by distributed shipbuilding partners before arriving at the shipyard for integration.
HII expects distributed shipbuilding to support schedule performance; strengthen U.S. Navy capability and capacity; create industrial base resiliency; and spread the economic benefits of shipbuilding across the United States.
About HII
HII is America’s largest shipbuilder, delivering the world’s most powerful ships and all-domain mission technologies, including unmanned systems, to U.S. and allied defense customers. HII is the largest producer of unmanned underwater vehicles for the U.S. Navy and the world.
With a more than 140-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII builds and integrates defense capabilities extending from the core fleet to C6ISR, AI/ML, EW and synthetic training. Headquartered in Virginia, HII’s workforce is 44,000 strong. For more information, visit:
- HII on the web:
- HII on Facebook:
- HII on X:
- HII on Instagram:
- HII on LinkedIn:
Contact:
Danny Hernandez
(202) 264-7143
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
