South Korea demonstrates MUM-T tactics for mine countermeasures
Hanwha Systems' Haeryeong reconnaissance USV (left) and the recently launched 30-tonne USV (right) during the MCM demonstration. (Hanwha Systems)
South Korea's Hanwha Systems, in partnership with the Republic of Korea Navy (RoKN), has demonstrated manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) capabilities for mine countermeasures (MCM) operations managed through an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled command and control (C2) system.
The demonstration, conducted at the RoKN's Busan Naval Base, featured multiple Hanwha Systems unmanned maritime vehicles and the company's new AI-based Automatic Mine Detection System (AMDS) C2 system, Hanwha Systems said on 3 August.
The company said the event also incorporated its 30-tonne unmanned surface vessel (USV), launched in June as a testbed for AI-enabled autonomous navigation technologies, and a Haeryeong reconnaissance USV equipped with an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV).
The demonstration was further supported by a manned RoKN minesweeper, a military reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and Eutelsat OneWeb low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications, enabling information-sharing among participating platforms.
The event began with the receipt of intelligence indicating a potential mine threat. Based on natural-language commands, the large language model (LLM)-based AMDS generated a mine-search plan, under which Haeryeong, the minesweeper, and the UAV were deployed to conduct reconnaissance, the company said.
Haeryeong subsequently launched its onboard UUV to search for mines, with collected data transmitted in real-time to the AMDS. Once the AMDS identified the mine's location through AI-assisted analysis, the USVs and minesweeper were directed to the designated area and successfully neutralised the threat.
It remains unclear whether additional demonstrations are planned in 2026 or how the technologies will be incorporated into future RoKN operations.
Hanwha Systems had not responded to Janes request for more information at the time of publication.
For more, please see: Hanwha Systems launches 30-tonne USV
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