Hanwha's Arion-SMET UGV selected for Korean army requirement

Hanwha Aerospace's Arion-SMET UGV is displayed at International Aerospace & Defence Exhibition 2025 conducted in Seoul. (Janes/Sunil Nair)

Hanwha Aerospace's Arion-SMET unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) has been selected for a Republic of Korea Army (RoKA) requirement, a spokesperson for the company told Janes on 20 July.

The spokesperson said that the Arion-SMET – short for Autonomous and Robotic Systems for Intelligence Off-road Navigation–Small Multi-purpose Equipment Transport – would become the RoKA's first operational UGV.

“Arion-SMET has been selected as the preferred bidder and is set to become the first supplier of UGVs to the RoKA,” the spokesperson said, adding that a purchase contract has yet to be signed.

Although Hanwha Aerospace did not disclose Arion-SMET's specifications, the platform closely resembles the company's earlier I-MPUGV, which was unveiled in October 2021 and subsequently trialled by the RoKA's 5th Infantry Division.

The I-MPUGV is a six-wheel, artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled vehicle equipped with a locally developed remote weapon station (RWS). The RWS features a machine gun, ammunition box, and a module of electro-optical devices. The I-MPUGV has a claimed maximum speed of 40 km/h on road and 20 km/h off-road.

Hanwha Aerospace has not disclosed the type of weapon integrated into the RWS. However, Janes assesses that it features an SNT Motiv K16 7.62×51 mm general‐purpose machine gun (GPMG).

The I-MPUGV is estimated to measure approximately 3 m in length, 1.7 m in width, with a height of 1.7 m including its RWS. It weighs about 1,500 kg.

For more, please see: Feature: Asia-Pacific militaries ramp up development of combat UGVs