GOOSE CREEK, S.C., July  27, 2026  (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HII (NYSE:HII) hosted Australian Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy today at the company’s Newport News Shipbuilding Charleston Operations site in South

HII Hosts Australian Minister for Defence Industry at Newport News Shipbuilding Charleston Operations

HII Highlights AUKUS Progress, 50% Output Rise at Charleston Shipyard

<section class="insight" data-version="1">
  <section data-block="information">
    <h3>Information</h3>
    <p>GOOSE CREEK, S.C., July  27, 2026  (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HII (NYSE:HII) hosted Australian Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy today at the company’s Newport News Shipbuilding Charleston Operations site in South</p>
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  <section data-block="ai-summary-paragraph">
    <h3>AI Summary</h3>
    <p>HII hosted Australian Defence Minister Pat Conroy at its Newport News Shipbuilding Charleston Operations, underscoring continued AUKUS collaboration. The site has boosted output by more than 50% under HII and is expanding to meet U.S. Navy demand, while AUSSQ progresses with 13 Australian suppliers qualified for integration into U.S./UK submarine programs. The event signals stronger cross-border defense work and potential near-term revenue growth.</p>
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  <section data-block="ai-summary-bullets">
    <h3>Key Points</h3>
    <ul><li>HII hosts Australian Defence Minister Conroy at Charleston; reinforces AUKUS partnership.</li><li>Charleston production up &gt;50% since HII ownership; ramping for Navy programs.</li><li>AUSSQ program; 13 Australian suppliers qualified for US/UK submarine supply.</li><li>NNS Charleston Operations spans 45 acres; 480k+ sq ft manufacturing space.</li></ul>
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  <section data-block="companies-mentioned">
    <h3>Companies Mentioned</h3>
    <ul><li><strong>HII (HII)</strong>: Main beneficiary; news underscores HII&#039;s role in expanding AUKUS-related production and supplier qualification.</li><li><strong>Australian Submarine Supplier Qualification Program (AUSSQ) (AUSSQ)</strong>: Program under AUKUS Pillar I; qualified 13 suppliers to date; embeds Australian industry into U.S./UK submarine programs.</li></ul>
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  <section data-block="category">
    <h3>Industry News</h3>
    <p>Industry News: Highlights ongoing AUKUS collaboration and HII&#039;s capacity expansion, signaling potential backlog and revenue impacts from government defense programs.</p>
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  <section data-block="market-moving">
    <h3>Market-Moving</h3>
    <ul><li>AUSSQ progress and supplier qualification could unlock incremental defense revenue.</li><li>50%+ output uplift at Charleston signals higher Navy program exposure.</li><li>AUKUS momentum and Australian partner involvement may lift HII&#039;s backlog and margins.</li></ul>
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  <section data-block="key-facts">
    <h3>Key Facts</h3>
    <ul><li>Date/location: Goose Creek, SC, July 27, 2026.</li><li>Charleston Operations output up &gt;50% since acquisition.</li><li>AUSSQ has qualified 13 Australian suppliers.</li><li>Site spans 45 acres with 480,000+ sq ft manufacturing space.</li><li>AUSSQ supports seven work packages for Virginia-class/SSN-AUKUS.</li></ul>
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  <section data-block="trading-thesis">
    <h3>Trading Thesis</h3>
    <p>Bullish near to mid-term as AUKUS uplift materializes.</p>
  </section>
</section>


<link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.globenewswire.com/styles/gnw_nitf.css"></link><p>GOOSE CREEK, S.C., July  27, 2026  (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HII (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/HII">HII</a>) hosted Australian Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy today at the company’s Newport News Shipbuilding Charleston Operations site in South Carolina.</p>  <p>The visit was held in support of the trilateral Australia, United Kingdom and United States (AUKUS) partnership. HII continues its commitment to supporting AUKUS and the optimal pathway for Australia’s acquisition of a conventionally armed, nuclear-powered, submarine capability and a broader partnership on advanced capabilities.</p>  <p>The visit included a tour of the production facility and discussions with company leaders about HII’s <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=zc1NsqdB29tap7v_1bsFgB5hKvb-5HD5YVRuo1f5U0KmKB12aRIUcfvoVrf8kRTSJOWNyttTXNEzsNSC2ZSii4xile6fdF-7G0bvwWSyrXGAeTMRXc8h5w-YxnTfCcwoH0l4IVx7xrW4l6k5Vf1cFXJgZ2a-FI-Aaq3Ymm-dTZnhkKmFS74NQQ2OBDKvsxxSXHLTKdGYHJnOHcS7l90bdQ==" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">distributed shipbuilding</a> initiative to increase shipbuilding throughput and meet the increased demand for ships. Under HII’s ownership, the site has increased production by more than 50% as it continues to ramp up in support of U.S. Navy programs.</p>  <p>"It was a pleasure to tour this facility and see firsthand the capability established here, and the impact it is already having on the U.S. submarine industrial base," Conroy said.</p>  <p><img alt="20260727_131211" data-mce-style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" height="450" src="https://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/f6587908-29bf-4c28-8d93-79b0268f08b5/20260727-131211.jpg" style="display:block; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto;" width="600" data-dpi="72" data-caption="HII hosted Australian Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy at the company’s Newport News Shipbuilding Charleston Operations site in Goose Creek, South Carolina on Monday, July 27, 2026 (Photo by Todd Corillo/HII)." data-filename="20260727_131211.jpg"></img><br></br></p>  <p>Photos accompanying this release are available at: <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=x-zVUjsU8-3ky_yKzKbzKrCRCgDdPRSMGijfTfsUKk2vW-rs59K6ADs_A11zVQ6KlOf_0bbAwELFgmgnLbOkinbrD3NXqe5Q6JEvz31KfOyKjAk6fDCAYe0r3jOkU4doDIZTMafDubXbt6p3mYdiH-BFWnB8TEYD2gLBywVNDkCyqDzXhD4sP2H3lzJ8O06pLwV5fbgGNr2HUJiY-tGkvxKu9ifxKKoOZSid0BwcJOXdtbbsnBI44CzSMu9ol7zpMjDw9JQao4lWlW8SaUOoswNHj-71IUuwxM4bDoboDXb-hngna7APc1nYvbBKaUnzGn51ziIQYHXfhdSXGEXsJ74ECNKvfl-ijFryyVjVKLM=" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://hii.com/news/hii-hosts-australian-minister-for-defence-industry-at-newport-news-shipbuilding-charleston-operations/</a>.</p>  <p>"I look forward to seeing Australian-made parts coming through this, and other U.S. facilities, demonstrating the strength of the AUKUS partnership and our shared commitment to industrial uplift."</p>  <p>NNS Charleston Operations is located on 45 acres along the Cooper River with more than 480,000 square feet of covered manufacturing space. It is strategically located within South Carolina’s rapidly growing maritime ecosystem, having both barge and rail access, capacity to expand, and growing access to the highly skilled maritime trades workforce.</p>  <p>"We are honored Minister Conroy chose to invest time with us at HII during his trip to the United States," said Matt Needy, NNS vice president of Charleston Operations. "We value the opportunity to share best practices from our expanded operations, here in South Carolina, to help accelerate AUKUS momentum."</p>  <p>HII is actively supporting a range of initiatives to advance the AUKUS trilateral security partnership. HII was awarded the contract to deliver the Australian Submarine Supplier Qualification (AUSSQ) Program, which accelerates the identification, development and qualification of Australian suppliers for integration into the United States submarine industrial base.</p>  <p>HII is also working with Australian industry and academia to develop the skilled workforce needed to support Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine enterprise. This includes educating and training thousands of engineers, maritime specialists, nuclear tradespeople and other professionals to support the enterprise across its full lifecycle.</p>  <p>A cornerstone initiative under AUKUS Pillar I, AUSSQ is strengthening Australia’s sovereign nuclear-powered submarine capability by qualifying Australian small and medium-sized enterprises to participate in the U.S. and U.K. nuclear submarine supply chains. The program spans seven critical work packages supporting the construction and sustainment of <em>Virginia</em>-class submarines and the future SSN-AUKUS platform.</p>  <p>To date, AUSSQ has qualified 13 Australian suppliers, providing them with a pathway into U.S. and U.K. nuclear submarine programs and embedding Australian industry into AUKUS submarine production and sustainment.</p>  <p><strong>About HII</strong></p>  <p>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.</p>  <p>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 45,000 strong. For more information, visit:</p>  <ul type="disc"><li>HII on the web: <a href="https://www.hii.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><u>https://www.HII.com/</u></a></li><li>HII on Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TeamHII" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><u>https://www.facebook.com/TeamHII</u></a></li><li>HII on X: <a href="https://www.twitter.com/wearehii" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><u>https://www.twitter.com/WeAreHII</u></a></li><li>HII on Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/wearehii" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><u>https://www.instagram.com/WeAreHII</u></a></li><li>HII on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearehii" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><u>https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearehii</u></a><br></br><br></br></li></ul>  <p>Contact:</p>  <p>Todd Corillo<br></br><a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=Cs_S-BzE4Y7MWauT6Ufz_hTsuB3rksxNNq7hz1HFmwWT3_SNgLuyiYTS6z9ODpLv7cNHJfOW_TUedZR0ZjbkK-7uDyrc3jhJWf-FwA_9pM5mvdqcn8zg3IFV3PoIWmFX" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Todd.T.Corillo@HII-co.com</a><br></br>(757) 688-3220</p>  <p>A photo accompanying this announcement is available at <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=iibGIzAAqPFPkERDacOB0-mznLaDM8pszXqEkkVL9T7vWUt-PL5vczEVYzIyGeBY6W3pNTqYbDDthogmWqgmQ2lRL_-hW5dIkV-oLLyar89qclbG7E8I-lwIVU9YjfSlT9g-09mYnkUdqT7iSC9KpSkBtfdOSEZt9he5i09tJ2k3x5h78wnkgFBIRlRHpHoviKGX855ovkNipIFEzAvwOeYBknjTqHb1Q_tNUCnEOGQ2Aoz5RgoKN2mxZRR5moBUV1T_3-i_Z99JO81DWd7pNw==" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f6587908-29bf-4c28-8d93-79b0268f08b5</a></p> <img alt="" class="__GNW8366DE3E__IMG" src="https://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/ti?nf=OTc5ODkxNCM3NzQ1NjY1IzIwMTA4ODQ="></img> <br></br><img alt="" src="https://ml.globenewswire.com/media/MzU3YmNkNDUtYmI4MC00OThmLWIxZDUtZDRlMDE4NDk0ZmVhLTEwMjI0NTctMjAyNi0wNy0yNy1lbg==/tiny/HII.png" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade"></img><p><a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/50e1f6f6-0b84-4b47-bae8-15bb93c2843a"><img src="https://ml.globenewswire.com/media/50e1f6f6-0b84-4b47-bae8-15bb93c2843a/small/hii-logo-2023-icon-png.png" border="0" width="150" height="150" alt="Primary Logo"></img></a></p>

HII hosted Australian Defence Minister Pat Conroy at its Newport News Shipbuilding Charleston Operations, underscoring continued AUKUS collaboration. The site has boosted output by more than 50% under HII and is expanding to meet U.S. Navy demand, while AUSSQ progresses with 13 Australian suppliers qualified for integration into U.S./UK submarine programs. The event signals stronger cross-border defense work and potential near-term revenue growth.

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HII Hosts Australian Minister for Defence Industry at Newport News Shipbuilding Charleston Operations

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