The decision on the contractor for the Army’s multipurpose unmanned vehicle is expected to be delayed. Although it was originally predicted to be decided by the end of May, differences arose among the companies participating in the bidding regarding the evaluation criteria. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) decided to re-examine the comprehensive evaluation criteria and methods.
The multipurpose unmanned vehicle is expected to play a crucial role on the future battlefield, used for reconnaissance and supply transport. Currently, Hyundai Rotem and Hanwha Aerospace are competing.
According to military authorities and the defense industry on the 29th, DAPA has completed the test evaluation of Hyundai Rotem’s multipurpose unmanned vehicle HR-Sherpa and Hanwha Aerospace’s Arion-SMET, which was overseen by the Army Headquarters Test Evaluation Group, and it is now preparing for the final performance evaluation. This is a procedure for confirming the highest performance of each company’s unmanned vehicles. In previous test evaluations, it was reported that both unmanned vehicles met the military’s required operational capability (ROC).
The final performance evaluation will be conducted by scoring higher for better performance across six criteria, including speed and payload weight. The two companies submitted proposals detailing the performance certified by an accredited institution, but it was said that the criteria differed. One company submitted the military's required performance level, while the other listed the highest performance. For example, if 100 km/h was the military’s standard, one company wrote 100 km/h, while the other stated that 120 km/h was also possible.
The company that noted 100 km/h raised an objection, arguing that it is unfair to award more points based on a higher stated performance. They also claimed that DAPA provided insufficient prior explanations regarding the evaluation criteria. In contrast, the other company maintains that the performance listed in the proposal should also be subject to evaluation.
DAPA stated that at the explanatory meeting held in April last year, they detailed that high performance would earn good scores. DAPA has decided to persuade both companies to re-examine the evaluation criteria.
This project is primarily about determining the mass production contractor for the multipurpose unmanned vehicle as part of the Army’s next-generation combat model Army Tiger project. This is the first time the military is introducing unmanned vehicles, so legal reviews will take place to derive a conclusion that both companies can agree upon. A DAPA official said, “We plan to reach a conclusion by the end of this year.”