The vehicle is a key asset in the South Korean Army’s future force concept known as “Army Tiger 4.0.” The evaluation, conducted with full-scale equipment from the 3rd for about three weeks, assessed six items including top speed and operating range.
The test was designed to compare the performance claims submitted by defense companies. Additional checks were reported to include the military’s view that remote-control distance exceeding the required performance should be compared, and whether any updates had been made to equipment entered in the verification test.
Hyundai Rotem, which competed with Hanwha Aerospace for the program, did not take part after raising concerns about the fairness of the evaluation.
The Army test and evaluation team previously conducted a five-month purchase trial from September 2024 to February 2025, and all companies’ equipment was judged suitable for combat use.
A Hanwha Aerospace official said the company is “faithfully carrying out the project in line with all conditions required by the government,” adding that it will deliver the Arion-SMET, which it said has strong performance, in time to meet the military’s needs.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.