South Korean military paves way for robotic vehicles in its ranks

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — As its military looks to tap new technologies to compensate for a dwindling conscript force, South Korea has launched a tender to procure unmanned ground vehicles for the nation’s Army and Marines Corps.

A tender published by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration earlier this month lists a budget of 49.63 billion won (U.S. $36.56 million) for multipurpose variants of the ground robots.

The vehicles will be purchased domestically, said the notice, via a competitive tender. After contract signature, production of an unspecified quantity will proceed till December 2026.

The bid marks the first major acquisition program for Seoul’s ground troops to procure operational UGVs, Kim Jae Yeop, a senior researcher at the Sungkyun Institute for Global Strategy in Seoul, told Defense News. The vehicles are envisioned to carry out reconnaissance, transportation and lightly armed missions alongside manned ground formations.

According to Kim, there are two leading candidates for the bid: Hyundai Rotem and Hanwha Aerospace. “Both companies are important Korean defense contractors, especially for land systems, and have been proceeding with their own UGV development programs,” he said.

Hyundai Rotem confirmed to Defense News that it will participate in the tender, though it declined to specify what platform it will offer.

As for its credentials, a spokesperson noted that the company “was the sole bidder selected for a rapid demonstration acquisition project after initially proposing it to the Korean Army” in November 2020.

That $3.6 million project, a precursor to today’s procurement effort, involved battery-powered HR-Sherpa-based 6x6 UGVs. “Hyundai Rotem’s UGV is the only vehicle that has been in actual operation for more than two years in various terrains in Korea,” the company spokesperson said.

Hanwha Aerospace also has been active in the UGV field, and the company can point to overseas experience. For example, the U.S. military chose Hanwha’s Arion-SMET 6x6 UGV to participate in a Foreign Comparative Testing program that occurred in Hawaii last December. It was the first Korean UGV ever evaluated for potential adoption by the United States.

The Arion-SMET, its name standing for Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport, weighs 1.8 tons, and its batteries permit a road range of 100km. South Korea’s army tested it in 2021, and it was demonstrated to U.S. Forces Korea the following year.

In separate news, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration approved a two-year pilot project, beginning in the third quarter of this year, for a UGV-based air defense system for the Marine Corps. A prototype is to be ready by the second half of 2026.

Armed with a 40mm weapon, the vehicle is meant to automatically detect, track and destroy intruding drones. The new platform is intended to replace existing manned antiaircraft systems, thus streamlining personnel numbers.

Nearby Japan is also adopting UGVs. According to a Rheinmetall press release issued April 8, the German company will supply three Mission Master SP vehicles. Japan is slated to receive these UGVs equipped with cargo, surveillance and remote weapon station payloads in January 2025.

Gordon Arthur is an Asia correspondent for Defense News. After a 20-year stint working in Hong Kong, he now resides in New Zealand. He has attended military exercises and defense exhibitions in about 20 countries around the Asia-Pacific region.

新西兰基督城——由于韩国军队正在寻求利用新技术来弥补义务兵役的减少，韩国已启动一项招标，为该国陆军和海军陆战队采购无人地面车辆。

本月早些时候，国防采办计划管理局发布的一份招标书列出了496.3亿韩元（3656万美元）的地面机器人多用途变体的预算。

公告称，这些车辆将通过公开招标的方式在国内采购。合同签署后，生产工作将持续到2026年12月，具体数量未定。

首尔成均全球战略研究院高级研究员金载烨告诉《防务新闻》，此次招标标志着首尔地面部队首次大规模采购作战型无人地面车辆（UGV）。这些车辆预计将与有人地面部队协同执行侦察、运输和轻型武装任务。

金先生表示，目前竞标的两大主要候选公司是现代Rotem和韩华航空航天。“这两家公司都是韩国重要的国防承包商，尤其是在陆地系统方面，并且一直在推进各自的无人地面车辆（UGV）研发项目。”他说道。

现代Rotem公司向《防务新闻》证实，该公司将参与此次招标，但拒绝透露将提供哪种平台。

至于其资质，一位发言人指出，该公司“在 2020 年 11 月最初向韩国陆军提出快速演示采购项目后，成为该项目的唯一竞标者”。

这项耗资360万美元的项目是今天采购工作的先导，涉及基于HR-Sherpa电池驱动的6x6无人地面车辆（UGV）。公司发言人表示：“现代Rotem的UGV是唯一一款在韩国各种地形实际运行超过两年的车辆。”

韩华航空航天公司在无人地面车辆（UGV）领域也十分活跃，并拥有丰富的海外经验。例如，去年12月，美国军方选择韩华的Arion-SMET 6x6无人地面车辆参与在夏威夷举行的外国对比测试项目。这是韩国研发的无人地面车辆首次接受美国评估，以决定是否采用。

这款名为Arion-SMET的车辆，全称为小型多用途装备运输车，重1.8吨，电池续航里程可达100公里。韩国军队于2021年对其进行了测试，并在次年向驻韩美军进行了演示。

另据报道，国防采办计划管理局批准了一项为期两年的试点项目，该项目将于今年第三季度启动，旨在为海军陆战队研发一种基于无人地面车辆（UGV）的防空系统。原型系统预计将于2026年下半年完成。

该车辆配备一门40毫米火炮，旨在自动探测、跟踪并摧毁入侵的无人机。这一新型平台旨在取代现有的有人驾驶防空系统，从而精简人员配置。

邻国日本也在采用无人地面车辆（UGV）。根据莱茵金属公司4月8日发布的新闻稿，这家德国公司将向日本提供三辆Mission Master SP无人地面车辆。日本预计将于2025年1月接收这些配备货物、监视和遥控武器站等载荷的无人地面车辆。

戈登·阿瑟是《防务新闻》的亚洲特派记者。在香港工作20年后，他现居新西兰。他曾到访亚太地区约20个国家，参加过军事演习和防务展览。