Korea's 1st unmanned military ground vehicle gets ready for battlefield

CHANGWON, South Gyeongsang Province — As an employee walked across a test track at Hanwha Aerospace’s Changwon Plant 2, a four-wheeled vehicle trailed several meters behind, matching his path without anyone at the controls.

The vehicle was the Arion-SMET, Korea’s first multipurpose uncrewed ground vehicle selected for military deployment.

“The Arion-SMET can autonomously follow a soldier in front without any intervention from the operator,” said Lee Yun-su, a research engineer at Hanwha Aerospace’s Manned-Unmanned Teaming R&D Center, during the demonstration Monday.

The vehicle then picked up speed under remote control. It can travel at up to 60 kilometers per hour, allowing it to leave dangerous areas or deliver supplies, according to the company.

A 7.62-millimeter remote-controlled weapon station mounted on top swiveled toward a target on the test ground. Even as the vehicle moved, the weapon remained trained on it.

For the final demonstration, another Hanwha employee loaded supplies onto the vehicle and pressed a button on its side. With no driver aboard, the Arion-SMET moved toward a preset destination. The function is designed to reduce troops’ physical burden and exposure to danger during supply missions.

Hanwha Aerospace signed a mass-production contract with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration on Sept. 4. The vehicles will be delivered to Army and Marine Corps infantry units in stages beginning next year.

The latest model can carry about 450 kilograms and perform off-road autonomous driving, soldier-following and supply transport missions. It also features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based remote fire control system. The company said it completed the military’s selection tests without a single mechanical failure.

Development began in 2016 under a civil-military cooperation project. A second-generation model underwent the U.S. Department of Defense’s Foreign Comparative Testing program in late 2023. The Korean military selected a third-generation model incorporating feedback from previous trials.

At least 98 percent of the vehicle has been localized, with about 40 Korean suppliers providing components. Hanwha said this would allow faster maintenance and logistics support.

AI can detect and track targets, but the decision to engage them remains with a human operator.

“There are actions, including actual firing, that require a decision by the operator,” said Park Mae-hun, head of the at Hanwha Aerospace’s Manned-Unmanned Teaming R&D Center.

“When identification is based on video, an AI recommendation alone cannot be used to identify a target as hostile and open fire without human verification,” he said.

Park said the military would also need new operational concepts to use uncrewed systems effectively.

“If we are simply going to operate in the same way as before, there is little reason to use these uncrewed systems,” he said. “The military needs to test different operational concepts through combat experiments and rapid-demonstration programs.”

Before the outdoor demonstration, reporters toured a production building where Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers and Cheongung-II missile launchers were being assembled. On the Chunmoo line, chassis were fitted with wheels, cabins and engines.

Part of the building is scheduled to house an Arion-SMET assembly area next year, expanding the plant’s role from producing established defense exports to manufacturing Korea’s first multipurpose uncrewed military vehicle.

Established in 1984, the 198,000-square-meter plant is roughly the size of 30 soccer fields. It produces equipment ranging from K200 and K21 armored vehicles to air defense systems.

Starting with the Arion-SMET, Hanwha Aerospace plans to establish six common uncrewed ground vehicle platforms across light, medium and heavy weight classes by 2030.

The company also aims to secure technology by 2029 that would allow existing platforms, including the K9 self-propelled howitzer, Chunmoo and a next-generation infantry fighting vehicle, to operate with or without crews depending on the mission.

“We will build a production system capable of reliably supplying the uncrewed vehicles needed by the Korean military and allied countries,” said Kim Dong-hyun, head of the company’s Land Systems Business Group. “We will also actively secure technologies to lead the development of defense uncrewed systems for future battlefields.”