[Herald Economy = Reporter Park Hyewon] Hanwha Aerospace said May 14 that it completed an integrated performance demonstration of a manned-unmanned combined combat system in Romania. It was the first time a domestically developed military unmanned ground vehicle demonstrated capabilities on European soil.On May 12 (local time), Hanwha Aerospace was the only South Korean company to take part in Demo Day at BSDA 2026 (Black Sea Defense & Aerospace). About 50 defense and military leaders attended, including Romania’s Army Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Ciprian Marin; Mircea Gologan, deputy chief of the general staff for resources; and Daniel Pop, deputy chief of the army staff.
Hanwha demonstrated a manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) configuration that integrated its wheeled armored vehicle TIGON with unmanned ground vehicles: the company’s GRUNT multipurpose UGV and Estonia’s Milrem Robotics–developed THeMIS.
A Hanwha Aerospace official said the demo was significant because it showcased the company’s competitiveness in the European and global UGV market. He added that the exercise illustrated the next-generation battlefield employment concepts NATO and European customers are seeking.
During the demonstration, GRUNT and THeMIS entered hazardous areas first to conduct reconnaissance and surveillance in coordination with drones, while the TIGON provided troop transport and fire support. The scenario then moved to unmanned resupply and casualty evacuation. GRUNT, built on the Arion-SMET platform as a next-generation multipurpose UGV, uses a hybrid drivetrain, can carry up to 900 kg, and features autonomous follow, automatic detection and tracking, and electronic-warfare countermeasures.
A Romanian military commander who observed the demo said, “This exercise allowed us to see concretely how existing weapon systems and UGV forces can integrate and operate. It was an excellent opportunity to evaluate Hanwha’s multipurpose UGV.”
Park Byung-ho, head of Hanwha Aerospace’s LS4 project team, said, “By successfully completing the first European performance demonstration of a domestically developed UGV, we proved our technological competitiveness and operational scalability on the global stage. We validated the manned-unmanned combined system’s ability to execute multiple battlefield missions in a live environment and presented the next-generation ground combat concepts sought by NATO and European customers, as well as a development path for the multipurpose unmanned systems our armed forces are pursuing.”
