Hanwha Aerospace's Arion-SMET wins South Korean Army's first multipurpose UGV program.

On July 16, 2026, South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration selected Hanwha Aerospace’s Arion-SMET over Hyundai Rotem’s HR-Sherpa for the Republic of Korea Army's first multipurpose unmanned ground vehicle program. The procurement addresses South Korea’s declining active-duty infantry manpower by deploying autonomous robotic systems to absorb hazardous logistics, reconnaissance, and casualty evacuation tasks. Integrated into the Army TIGER 4.0 modernization framework, the all-electric 6×6 platform establishes a digitally connected robotic layer between dismounted troops and manned combat vehicles.

The initial KRW 49.6 billion ($33.5 million) contract covers several dozen 2-ton electric vehicles scheduled for operational deployment between 2027 and 2028, with long-term procurement projected to reach KRW 500 billion. Built with over 98 percent domestic components, the Arion-SMET delivers a 450 kg payload capacity, a 100 km range, and an acoustic gunshot localization remote weapon station following evaluation under the U.S. Foreign Comparative Testing program.

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During reconnaissance, route security or perimeter patrols, the Arion-SMET can carry day and night electro-optical sensors ahead of soldiers and relay imagery before the unit enters the area. (Picture source: Hanwha Aerospace)

On July 16, 2026, South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) selected Hanwha Aerospace’s Arion-SMET over Hyundai Rotem’s HR-Sherpa for the South Korean Army’s first multipurpose unmanned ground vehicle (MUGV) programme, ending a competition that had remained unresolved for more than a year. The opening phase is valued at KRW 49.6 billion, approximately $33.5 million, and covers several dozen vehicles scheduled to enter service between 2027 and 2028 after contract signature in Q3 2026. DAPA had initially intended to complete the decision in June 2025, but the schedule slipped after disputes around the scoring method. The KRW 49.6 billion order is only the first acquisition block.

Depending on the number of Army units equipped under the Army TIGER 4.0 modernization programme, cumulative procurement could rise toward KRW 500 billion, more than ten times the value of the initial contract. South Korea has fewer active duty personnel available to perform infantry logistics, local security, casualty movement and reconnaissance, while the weight carried by dismounted soldiers has continued to increase because of radios, batteries, ammunition, anti-tank weapons, body armor, water and night vision equipment. The Arion-SMET, an abbreviation of Autonomous and Robotic Systems for Intelligence Off-road Navigation - Small Multi-purpose Equipment Transport, is intended to absorb part of that burden.

At squad, platoon and company level, it could carry supplies behind a patrol, move ammunition between a vehicle release point and a firing position, transport a casualty away from the forward edge and place surveillance sensors ahead of soldiers. Operationally, this UGV will reduce the number of soldiers exposed during routine but dangerous support tasks, preserve infantry endurance over longer movements and create a robotic layer between dismounted troops and larger manned vehicles such as a K21 infantry fighting vehicle, a K808 armored personnel carrier or a conventional logistics truck. The TIGER framework gives the MUGV program its broader relevance because the vehicles are expected to operate inside digitally connected formations using shared communications, tactical data and manned-unmanned teaming procedures rather than as isolated radio-controlled platforms.

The Arion-SMET, which completed the evaluation campaign without a recorded mechanical failure, is a 6×6 electric UGV weighing approximately 2,000 kg. Its dimensions are about 3.0 m long, 1.7 m wide, and 1.7 m high in a configuration fitted with a remote-controlled weapon station (RCWS), making it substantially smaller than an armored personnel carrier but large enough to carry a squad-level logistics load. Payload figures vary between approximately 450 kg for the Korean procurement configuration and 550 kg for the broader vehicle specification. The 100 kg difference is operationally relevant because it can represent several boxes of linked ammunition, additional batteries, a stretcher installation, or the mass of the weapon station and sensor package. Maximum speed is approximately 43 km/h on paved roads and 22 km/h off-road, with a stated range of up to 100 km on one battery charge.

During tactical movement, the range will logically decrease with soft ground, gradients, repeated acceleration, heavy payloads, cold weather, continuous sensor operation, and prolonged low-speed manoeuvring. Even so, a 100 km nominal range is sufficient for repeated movement between a battalion or company support area and forward infantry positions during a daily mission cycle, provided that the South Korean Army establishes field charging, battery monitoring and recovery arrangements. Airless tyres reduce the probability that small arms damage or punctures will immobilize the Arion-SMET, while the composite structure provides limited shielding. From an engineering perspective, the all-electric architecture produces several advantages, but each comes with a corresponding limitation.

Electric drive reduces engine noise and removes the hot exhaust plume associated with a diesel engine, which lowers acoustic and infrared detectability during reconnaissance or resupply missions. Independent wheel drive can improve traction control because torque can be adjusted separately at each wheel, while the absence of a conventional gearbox, drive shaft and differential reduces some mechanical complexity. The same architecture transfers the logistics burden from liquid fuel to electrical power. However, a unit operating Arion-SMET must provide generators, charging vehicles, replaceable battery modules or fixed charging points close enough to the tactical area to sustain repeated sorties. A nominal range of 100 km may be adequate for one mission, but a vehicle that returns with a depleted battery cannot immediately repeat the task unless the battery can be exchanged or charged rapidly.

Electric propulsion also does not eliminate thermal detection. Batteries, electric motors, power electronics and tyres generate heat under load, particularly during slow movement over sand, mud or gradients. The UGV therefore has a lower acoustic and exhaust signature than a combustion-powered vehicle, but it is not thermally invisible and remains detectable by surveillance drones, ground radars and thermal imagers. One of the most important facts about the Arion-SMET is that more than 98% of its components are produced within South Korea, which greatly reduces the reliance on foreign suppliers for the chassis, weapon station and major mission equipment. Technically, the Arion-SMET supports direct remote control, GPS waypoint navigation, autonomous off-road movement, exploratory navigation, soldier-following, vehicle-following, physical tether-following, and automatic return after loss of communications.

These distinct control modes are intended for different levels of terrain complexity. Direct remote control, for instance, is the most operator-intensive but gives the user immediate authority in narrow streets, obstacle belts, or loading areas. Waypoint navigation reduces workload on known routes, while exploratory mode requires the vehicle to classify terrain and select a path through previously unmapped ground. Soldier-following allows the UGV to track a designated infantryman, whereas vehicle-following is better suited to convoy or formation movement. Physical tether-following provides a simple and robust method when radio communications are degraded or when close control is required around troops. To help manage these control modes, the Arion-SMET's navigation combines GPS, electro-optical cameras and LiDAR, with a software using the three inputs for obstacle detection, terrain recognition and route planning.

This sensor mix creates redundancy, but not immunity from disruption. GPS can be jammed or spoofed, LiDAR performance can deteriorate in dust, smoke, rain or dense vegetation, and electro-optical cameras are affected by darkness, glare, mud and camouflage. Design-wise, the forward cameras can provide reduced navigation capability if LiDAR is unavailable, while an aerial drone can extend the radio link by acting as a relay. The current control arrangement supports two UGVs, which is useful for initial unit employment but remains far below the fleet management scale required for a platoon or company operating numerous robotic vehicles simultaneously. The Arion-SMET's 450 kg load could include several thousand rounds of small arms ammunition, mortar bombs, anti-tank guided missiles, radio batteries, water, food or engineering stores, although the exact mix would depend on packaging and mission priority.

The load is large enough to remove a substantial portion of the burden from a dismounted squad, but it is not large enough to replace a conventional truck or tracked carrier. In casualty evacuation configuration, the UGV can carry a wounded soldier on a stretcher and remove that casualty from a direct-fire area without committing a full four-person litter team to the same route. Its low height and remote control reduce personnel exposure, but the patient logically receives less protection and medical supervision than inside an armored ambulance. For reconnaissance, the UGV can carry day and night cameras, thermal imagers, communications equipment and route-surveillance sensors ahead of a patrol. The unmanned vehicle can inspect a road junction, woodland edge, trench line or suspected firing position while the operator remains behind cover.

Like in Ukraine, the UGV's value is therefore greatest in missions where losing the robot is preferable to exposing additional soldiers. The armed variant of this UGV mounts a domestically developed RCWS compatible with 5.56 mm and 7.62 mm machine guns, including the South Korean K3 and K16. A 5.56 mm minimizes weapon and ammunition mass and is suitable for short-range suppression against exposed personnel, while a 7.62 mm offers greater range, penetration, and retained energy against light cover at the cost of heavier ammunition and higher recoil. The station uses day and night electro-optical sensors, automatic target tracking, and acoustic gunshot localization.

Similar to the French Metravib Pilar V, several microphones measure differences in the arrival time and waveform of a gunshot, calculate its approximate bearing, and cue the weapon station toward the suspected source. That sequence can reduce the time required to locate a shooter, particularly when the first shot is heard before the target is visible. It does not produce an automatic right to fire. The operator must still examine the sensor image, determine whether the detected position contains a hostile target, and authorize the engagement. This human authorization requirement is operationally important in terrain containing friendly infantry, civilians, or multiple firing points. The July 2026 award also rewarded ten years of development and several separate evaluation cycles.

Work began in 2016, followed by Korean demonstrations in 2019 and operational trials in 2021 involving ammunition resupply, heavy equipment transport, casualty evacuation, reconnaissance, perimeter security, convoy support and remote weapon use. In October 2022, the Arion-SMET became the first South Korean UGV selected for the U.S. Department of Defense Foreign Comparative Testing programme. After demonstrations at Camp Humphreys and the signing of an FCT agreement in September 2023, testing took place from December 14 to 22, 2023, at Marine Corps Training Area Bellows on Oahu.

Personnel from U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command, the III Marine Expeditionary Force and the U.S. Army DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center participated. Marines received three days of instruction before operating the two-ton vehicle over packed sand, soft sand, sand-clay surfaces, uneven roads and rutted tracks. Completion of this FCT provided Hanwha with performance data under U.S. procedures and terrain conditions and fed development of the improved SMET-II configuration. The Korean order now adds the element that FCT could not provide: a domestic production contract, an operational user, a sustainment system, and the opportunity to measure reliability, battery consumption, operator workload, and mission completion rates over several years of service.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.

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