Hanwha Shows Off UGV For U.S. Army At Camp Humphreys

Hanwha says it has successfully demonstrated an uncrewed ground vehicle for the U.S. Army under the U.S. Defense Dept.’s Foreign Comparative Testing program (FCT).

During the demonstration on Nov. 29 at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, Hanwha’s ARION-SMET (Autonomous and Robotic systems for Intelligence Off-road Navigation–Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport) robot showed off its capabilities, including remote-controlled and autonomous driving on a variety of terrains; obstacle-avoidance; autonomous homing following communication failures; gunshot localization; and vehicle/soldier following.

The 2-ton 6 x 6 robot is electric-powered with a range of 60 miles (100 km) and a payload of 1,200 pounds (550 kg). It is armed with a remotely operated weapon station that can detect and track hostile troops and localize the source of gunfire and return fire.

It is designed to support infantry operations, performing missions such as ammunition transport; medical evacuation; reconnaissance; and fire support.

The ARION-SMET is the first South Korean-built UGV to take part in the FCT program, which is designed to assess mature foreign technologies that could fill existing capability gaps.