CHANGWON — Hanwha Aerospace (012450) is teaming up with 43 domestic companies to build an unmanned aerial vehicle and drone industry ecosystem, positioning itself as an anchor company that links smaller firms' technology to large-scale production and exports.
The company held a cooperation ceremony with industry, academia and research institutions on the 21st at its Changwon No. 1 plant in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, attended by officials from domestic drone-related companies and research bodies. Hanwha Aerospace signed memorandums of understanding with the 43 companies and unveiled plans to build an industry ecosystem spanning development, production and exports, based on cooperation across airframes, parts and materials, and mission equipment.
The project is divided into large unmanned aircraft and small and mid-sized military drones. In the large UAV segment, Hanwha Aerospace is jointly developing the Mojave STOL short takeoff and landing aircraft with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, or GA-ASI, the U.S. company behind the Predator and Reaper reconnaissance and attack drones.
The Mojave measures 9 meters in length with a 16-meter wingspan and has a maximum takeoff weight of 3,175 kilograms. It can carry up to 1,600 kilograms, allowing use for both attack and cargo missions. Its top speed is 250 kilometers per hour and it can stay airborne for more than 24 hours. With takeoff and landing distances of 122 to 300 meters, it can operate on unpaved roads.
On the 16th of this month, the Mojave completed a simulated combat flight demonstration at the 2026 Defense Drone Technology Exhibition in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, taking off and landing on a narrow tank maneuver road rather than a conventional runway.
Hanwha Aerospace plans to build research, development and production infrastructure in South Korea for the Mojave and to raise the share of domestic production to more than 70% at the mass-production stage. In the process, the company said it will expand cooperation with domestic firms on airframes, parts and materials to grow the supply chain for large unmanned aircraft.
Cooperation will also widen in small and mid-sized military drones. The strategy is to combine domestic firms' airframe, parts and mission equipment technology with Hanwha Aerospace's systems integration and mass-production capabilities and its global business network to jointly target markets at home and abroad. The company said it will also expand export opportunities for domestic firms by pairing small and mid-sized drones with existing weapons systems such as the K9 self-propelled howitzer and the Chunmoo multiple rocket launcher when pitching to overseas customers.
Hanwha Aerospace noted that as the use of unmanned aircraft and drones has risen sharply on actual battlefields, including the war in Ukraine, global defense companies such as Rheinmetall and Leonardo have been securing technology and production capacity through joint development, investment and joint ventures with specialist firms. Korea's industry ecosystem, by contrast, has grown around small and mid-sized companies with strong technology but has faced limits in large-scale investment, building mass-production systems, securing stable order volumes and entering overseas markets, the company said.
"We will build an industry ecosystem that develops and produces unmanned aircraft and drones together with domestic companies, and ensure that the excellent technology and products of domestic firms lead to large-scale production and global exports," a Hanwha Aerospace official said.
