HD Hyundai unveils USV Tenebris in US

HD Hyundai Co., a South Korean shipbuilding and machinery conglomerate, announced on Thursday that it exhibited the model of its reconnaissance unmanned surface vessel (USV) called Tenebris at the Palantir Technologies booth during the AI Expo held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The AI Expo, organized by the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP) founded by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, featured major defense companies such as Palantir, Lockheed Martin, Google, and over 150 US security agencies including the National Security Agency.

Tenebris, meaning darkness in Latin, is designed to conduct reconnaissance missions covertly near enemy lines.

Featuring a displacement of 14 tons and a length of 17 meters, Tenebris incorporates high-performance hardware (hull) and advanced AI, with development targeted for completion by 2026.

Tenebris is equipped with autonomous navigation and vessel integration systems developed by Avikus, a subsidiary of HD Hyundai, and utilizes the Palantir AI platform.

HD Hyundai aims to maximize the maneuverability and operational range of the USV to ensure mission readiness even in maritime disruptions without communication, while also enhancing speed, payload capacity and stealth performance.

According to market research firm Allied Market Research, the global unmanned surface vessel market is projected to grow from $920 million in 2022 to $2.7 billion by 2032.

Write to Hyung-Kyu Kim at khk@hankyung.com