Huntington Ingalls Industries celebrated the first anniversary of its Newport News Shipbuilding Charleston Operations on January 22, 2026. The facility, which began operating in January 2025, delivered its first unit within 40 days of opening and has already exceeded the company’s 2025 production targets for the Charleston yard.
The 45‑acre yard on the Cooper River houses more than 480,000 square feet of covered manufacturing space and is part of HII’s distributed shipbuilding strategy, which partners with 23 shipyards and fabricators nationwide. The Charleston site is designed to fabricate complex metal modules and structures, with barge and rail access that streamlines delivery to Navy shipyards.
The milestone underscores HII’s margin‑recovery plan by adding throughput without the capital intensity of a new flagship yard. By meeting and surpassing 2025 production goals, the Charleston operations demonstrate that distributed shipbuilding can scale quickly and cost‑effectively, positioning HII to meet the Navy’s growing demand for submarines and aircraft carriers.
"We are one team on an important mission with the power to change the course of history—one component, one unit, one module, one boat or one ship at a time," said NNS President Kari Wilkinson. Rear Admiral Jonathan Rucker highlighted the strategic importance of distributed shipbuilding for national defense, while HII President and CEO Chris Kastner noted that the company is committed to expanding capacity where labor is available to increase throughput for its national‑security customers.
The Charleston yard integrated the legacy workforce from the acquired facility, with over 99 % of employees accepting offers to continue working on site. Advanced production equipment and state‑of‑the‑art manufacturing capabilities give the yard a competitive edge, while the existing workforce’s expertise accelerates ramp‑up and ensures high‑quality output.
The one‑year anniversary signals that HII’s distributed shipbuilding model is delivering tangible results. The yard’s rapid achievement of production targets and its integration into the broader supply chain reinforce HII’s ability to scale operations and support the Navy’s strategic objectives, laying the groundwork for future expansion and additional shipyard acquisitions.
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