Hanwha Aerospace to Build ‘K-UAV’ Ecosystem Through Cooperation With 43 Domestic Companies

UAV Cooperation Agreements Signed with 43 Korean Companies
Domestic Production Ratio of Mohave STOL to Exceed 70%

Hanwha Aerospace is joining forces with 43 domestic companies to build a ‘K-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (K-UAV)’ industrial ecosystem, aiming to foster and enhance the competitiveness of Korea’s unmanned aerial vehicle and drone industry. The company plans to connect domestic technological expertise to large-scale mass production and exports of UAVs and drones, while constructing a supply chain that ranges from large UAVs to small and medium-sized military drones to target global markets.

On the 21st, industry officials from South Korea's unmanned aerial vehicle and drone sectors posed for a commemorative photo at the 'Industry-Academia-Research Mutual Cooperation Agreement Ceremony' held at Hanwha Aerospace's Changwon 1 Plant in Changwon Special City, Gyeongnam Province. Hanwha Aerospace

On September 21, Hanwha Aerospace announced that it held an ‘Industry-Academia-Research Mutual Cooperation Agreement Ceremony’ at its Changwon 1 Plant in Changwon, Gyeongnam Special City, with the attendance of domestic UAV-related companies and representatives from industry, academia, and research sectors.

On this day, Hanwha Aerospace signed memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with a total of 43 domestic companies. The company plans to expand cooperation in airframes, parts, materials, and mission equipment, aiming to establish an industrial ecosystem for UAVs and drones that connects development, production, and exports.

Hanwha Aerospace is strengthening its business competitiveness by dividing its focus into large UAVs and small-to-medium-sized military drones. In the area of large UAVs, the company is jointly developing the short take-off and landing UAV ‘Mohave STOL’ with global unmanned aircraft specialist GA-ASI.

Hanwha Aerospace plans to establish research and production infrastructure in Korea for the development and mass production of the Mohave, with a goal to increase the domestic production ratio to over 70% during the mass production phase. In this process, the company will expand production cooperation with Korean companies for airframes, key parts, and materials, thereby nurturing the domestic supply chain for large UAVs.

In the small and medium-sized military drone sector, Hanwha Aerospace is also expanding cooperation with domestic specialized companies. The company’s strategy is to combine domestic firms’ expertise in airframes, parts, and mission equipment with Hanwha Aerospace’s system integration and mass production capabilities, as well as its global business network, to jointly target domestic and international markets.

Hanwha Aerospace also plans to create an industrial ecosystem that combines its existing weapon systems—such as the K9 self-propelled howitzer and Cheonmu—with small and medium-sized drones to expand into overseas markets.

A Hanwha Aerospace official stated, “We will do our utmost to establish an industrial ecosystem of ‘growing together’ by developing and producing UAVs and drones with domestic companies, ensuring that their outstanding technology and products lead to large-scale mass production and global exports, and ultimately enhancing the competitiveness of Korea’s defense unmanned systems.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.