GEOJE — "An unidentified vessel has appeared in waters southeast of Chilcheon Island, off Geoje in South Gyeongsang Province. Move to that point, identify the suspicious target and track it."
At 1 p.m. on the 28th of last month at Jangmok Port in Geoje, this reporter boarded a 30-ton combat unmanned surface vessel developed by Hanwha Systems (272210), despite heavy rain. Thick sea fog blanketed the water far offshore and the waves were high, raising doubts about whether the vessel could sail. The concern proved unfounded.
A Hanwha Systems researcher moved a compact piece of equipment loaded with the program from the ground-based remote control vehicle into the cockpit, leaving the vessel ready to deploy at any moment. As it picked up speed, the 30-ton combat USV pulled out of the harbor.
Partway to the target point, the pilot flipped a single lever to one side. With a click, he rose from the seat and stepped back. The Hanwha Systems researcher then called out, "Switching to unmanned."
The researcher immediately typed a command into an artificial intelligence mission planning program, ordering the vessel to identify and pursue the suspicious target, and the engines roared. The 30-ton combat USV, 21 meters long, had started up after receiving its mission via satellite communications.
The pilot who had been operating in manual mode stepped down, and with no one at the helm, the USV interpreted the command on its own, plotted a course and cut through the water at speeds of up to 40 knots, or about 74 kilometers per hour, turning without hesitation. The electronic chart traced out a figure eight.
The USV uses AI to interpret commands entered by a human, plot its own route and carry out its mission. Much as a commander gives verbal orders to a ship's captain, an operator passes along a command and the crewless vessel moves toward its target alone.
The cockpit of the 30-ton USV carried about five people on this day, for the purpose of the hands-on demonstration. Normally the pilot's seat sits empty during operation. Because of the heavy rain, the vessel turned its own wheel and ran toward the target point at 20 knots, or about 37 kilometers per hour, during this test.
When floating aquaculture gear set by local fishermen came into view, the USV cut the wheel and swerved sharply. Arriving at the target point, it examined the "unidentified vessel" with cameras and sensors, determined it was a fishing boat at work and dropped it from the tracking list.
The interior of the USV cockpit was plain compared with that of a conventional warship. On the left was a table where charts could be spread out, and on the right, the pilot's seat. Behind the seat was an engine control system.
Down a half-flight of stairs toward the bow sat the water thruster that changes the direction of the vessel's head. The thruster shifts the USV's heading by jetting water to the left or right. A small restroom was also fitted for use when people are aboard.
The USV is equipped with two 1,500-horsepower waterjet engines. A waterjet draws water into the hull and expels it backward at high speed, gaining thrust from the reaction. As a result, the plume of water thrown up at the stern rises higher each time the USV picks up speed.
Holding 20 knots in a zigzag run, the vessel heeled more than 45 degrees, but it made no difference. The sea state that day was level 3, with wave heights of 0.5 to 1.25 meters, and the wind added to it. The rain kept falling. The USV paid no attention.
Even turning more than 90 degrees at high speed, it sliced through the swells and pressed on. White foam on the water marked the path the USV had taken. With its mission complete, the vessel cut the wheel again on the order to "return to Jangmok Port" and headed for the harbor.
The combat USV the reporter boarded was developed to carry out reconnaissance and combat missions in forward waters such as the Northern Limit Line. When configured for combat, it carries a remote controlled weapon station at the bow for firing machine guns and other weapons by remote control, and a launcher for swarming suicide drones at the stern.
A suicide-attack USV launched alongside it in June is also undergoing sea trials and accumulating navigation data. Hanwha Systems plans to develop a 140-ton USV capable of anti-submarine operations by the end of this year. That is the size of the 150-ton Chamsuri-class patrol boat attacked by North Korean forces in the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong in 2002.
"Going forward, USVs will carry out combat missions equipped with 12.7-millimeter remote controlled weapon stations, suicide unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned mine-clearing systems," a company official said. "If suicide-attack unmanned surface vessels are also fitted, the military can switch between the various missions it wants."
Hanwha Systems' in-house developed unmanned surface vessels, aimed at the global market, are growing fast. The world market for unmanned surface vessels is expected to reach $6.2 billion, or about 8.5 trillion won, in 2034, more than double the $2.6 billion, or about 3.6 trillion won, recorded in 2024, according to market research firm Market Research Future.
Korean defense companies are accelerating USV development in response. Hanwha Systems has invested more than 70 billion won in the effort. LIG D&A has developed five models in its Haegeom series of reconnaissance and combat USVs. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (329180) is also building an 800-ton USV with U.S. firm Anduril, targeting October.
Countries around the world see USVs as one pillar of future naval power and are reorganizing their fleets accordingly. The United States plans to field 63 unmanned vessels, including USVs, by 2031 as a first step against the numerical expansion of China's navy. Britain aims to deploy large destroyer-class USVs armed with anti-air and anti-ship missiles by the mid-2030s. South Korea's navy plans to field reconnaissance USVs starting in 2027.
