HII Announces Investment in New Integration and Test Facility to Support U.S. Army High-Energy Laser Weapon System

September 30, 2025 at 14:30 PM EDT

McLEAN, Va., Sept. 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HII (NYSE: HII) announced today a capital investment in a new integration, production and test facility to support phase two of the U.S. Army’s Enduring-High Energy Laser (E-HEL) weapon system program. This facility will expand on HII’s existing laser capabilities and will enable assembly and factory acceptance testing of HEL prototypes and subsystems, reinforcing HII’s commitment to delivering next-generation technologies for the future force.

The new site will be equipped with advanced test capabilities for power, thermal and laser performance, and will serve as a critical enabler for validating HEL system readiness prior to field deployment.

“We are proud to expand our infrastructure in support of the Army’s HEL program,” said Grant Hagen, president of Mission Technologies’ Warfare Systems group. “This investment reflects our continued commitment to delivering scalable, interoperable, and mission-ready solutions that protect the warfighter and advance national security objectives.”

The production, integration and test facility capabilities align with the Army’s modular open systems approach, supporting rapid innovation, subsystem interchangeability, and supply chain resilience. It will play a key role in preparing HEL systems for low-rate initial production and future operational deployment.

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An image accompanying this release is available at: http://hii.com/news/hii-announces-investment-in-new-integration-and-test-facility-to-support-u-s-army-high-energy-laser-weapon-system/.

This initiative builds on HII’s ongoing collaboration with the Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO), which previously awarded HII a contract to develop and test a HEL prototype capable of acquiring, tracking, and defeating Groups 1-3 Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).

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: