Hanwha Group's defense institutional sector affiliates presented a blueprint for integrated unmanned solutions in land, sea, and air, outlining the current status of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and unmanned system development and the technology development roadmap.
On the 9th, according to Hanwha Group, the three defense companies (Hanwha Aerospace, Hanwha System, Hanwha Ocean) held the 7th DAPA-GO 2.0 communication meeting, which took place on the 7th at the Hanwha Aerospace Daejeon R&D campus under the auspices of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). DAPA-GO is a platform for the DAPA to directly visit the field, listen to industry opinions, and explore the direction for defense industry development through public-private collaboration.
At the meeting, the three Hanwha defense companies unveiled the current status of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and unmanned system development, as well as the technology development roadmap. The roadmap includes Hanwha Aerospace's unmanned vehicle lineup, Hanwha System's unmanned surface vessels and low-orbit satellite communication systems, and Hanwha Ocean's unmanned power command and control vessels, featuring integrated solutions for land, sea, and air.
During the meeting, Hanwha Aerospace introduced various unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) development statuses, including the multi-purpose unmanned vehicle Arion-SMET, which completed the U.S. Foreign Comparative Test (FCT), the self-developed next-generation unmanned vehicle GRUNT, and an explosive ordnance detection and disposal robot that will be operational this year.
Hanwha Aerospace plans to secure a complete lineup of wheeled and tracked UGV products in small, medium, and large sizes by 2028. To this end, it decided to strengthen joint technology development and strategic partnerships with the global UGV corporation 'Milrem Robotics' in February.
The three Hanwha defense companies presented a blueprint for the 'MUM-T solution,' integrating the UGVs with Hanwha System's satellite communication and Hanwha Ocean's unmanned command and control vessels to operate integrated manned and unmanned systems for land, sea, and air. The network, which integrates low-orbit satellites and ground networks, enables sharing battlefield conditions observed from space with various weapon systems on the battlefield, allowing for diverse integrated operations.
Defense Acquisition Program Administration head Seong Jong-geun noted, 'Successfully developing and effectively operating manned and unmanned hybrid systems is essential for strengthening the competitiveness of future battlefields and the defense industry,' and stated, 'We will support requests such as improving defense data accessibility and reform related laws and systems.'
Son Jae-il, representative, said, 'When the government and defense companies think and collaborate together, the Republic of Korea's defense industry will become even stronger.'