Korea's defense industry, long recognized for its strength in conventional weapons, is ramping up development of unmanned weapons systems, driven by shifting warfare trends and a shrinking military work force.
Hyundai Rotem and Hanwha Aerospace are locked in a race to lead the unmanned ground vehicle market.
Hyundai Rotem recently unveiled an upgraded version of its HR-Sherpa multipurpose unmanned ground vehicle, equipped with drones, surveillance systems and antitank missiles. Developed in collaboration with Hyundai Motor Group, the six-wheeled vehicle is capable of both remote-controlled and autonomous operation, and its modular structure allows it to carry a wide range of mission equipment.
Hanwha Aerospace has developed its own multipurpose unmanned ground vehicles, including the Autonomous and Robotic systems for Intelligence Off-road Navigation - Small Multi-purpose Equipment Transport, or the Arion-SMET, and the multipurpose ground vehicle Grunt, which stands for ground uncrewed transport.
The vehicles, which are based on autonomous driving technology, can transport supplies, evacuate wounded soldiers and, when needed, use mounted weapons to engage targets.
LIG Defense & Aerospace is expanding into maritime unmanned systems. Its modular Haegum-X autonomous surface vessel can be configured with surveillance and reconnaissance, combat or counterdrone payloads. The company has also unveiled a small explosive-laden unmanned surface vessel capable of operating in swarms.
Ammunition manufacturer Poongsan is expanding into military drones and drone munitions.
"As the Middle East conflict has shown, the role of ground combat is expected to gradually diminish, making it necessary to prepare [autonomous weapons] in advance," a Poongsan representative said.
Global defense companies specializing in unmanned systems are also seeking partnerships with Korean defense manufacturers.
U.S.-based Palantir Technologies has partnered with LIG, and Anduril Industries has signed cooperation agreements with Hyundai Rotem, HD Hyundai and Korean Air.
The partnerships have been driven by Korea's ability to develop and manufacture defense systems at an exceptional speed. Anduril Industries CEO Brian Schimpf stated during his visit to Korea last month that no country in the world moves as fast as Korea does.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
