Hyundai Rotem Partners to Build MUM-T Command-and-Control System
Korean Air to Co-develop Drones; HD Hyundai to Co-develop Unmanned Surface Vessels
U.S. defense AI company Anduril Industries is expanding its partnerships with South Korea’s defense sector. Following agreements with Korean Air and HD Hyundai, Anduril has now struck a deal with Hyundai Rotem to build a cross-domain defense collaboration spanning land, sea and air.
Anduril said on May 7 that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Hyundai Rotem. The signing ceremony was attended by Hyundai Rotem CEO Lee Yong-bae and Anduril co-founder and CEO Brian Schimpf, along with officials from both companies.
The companies will work together to develop a manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) command-and-control system tailored for future battlefields. Military planners envision those environments as teams composed of human commanders and AI, operating crewed combat vehicles, unmanned robots and drones concurrently.
Hyundai Rotem plans to integrate Anduril’s AI operating system, Lattice, into unmanned platforms such as its multipurpose unmanned vehicle HR-Sherpa and multi-legged walking robots to enhance command-and-control functions. The firm also intends to embed Lattice into primary ground weapon platforms to improve swarm coordination and autonomous mission execution.
The partnership will also pursue counter-drone capabilities. If an Anduril drone detects an adversary drone in the air, Hyundai Rotem’s maneuver systems would analyze the tactical picture and assist the commander’s decision-making. The companies said they plan to expand cooperation into real-time threat identification and air-defense solutions.
Anduril has been building a network of collaborations across Korea’s defense industry. On April 30, it and Korean Air successfully demonstrated autonomous mission software using three platforms at a domestic test range. The two firms plan to scale drone cooperation across South Korea and the Asia‑Pacific and are jointly developing integrated solutions for large-scale wildfire prevention and response.
In the naval sector, Anduril has partnered with HD Hyundai. After signing an MOU in April last year, they formalized cooperation with a memorandum of agreement in August, completed basic design work earlier this year, and began joint construction of a prototype vessel. The partners plan sea trials in October and aim to target global markets, including the United States and Australia.
John Kim, CEO of Anduril Korea, said, “We plan to integrate Lattice into HD Hyundai’s surface vessel and bid for the U.S. Navy’s Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) program. We expect this could become the first opportunity for a Korean defense company to break into the U.S. weapons market.”
