Hanwha Aerospace's short takeoff drone, 'Mohave,' developed in collaboration with the U.S. company General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, successfully completed a simulated combat flight demonstration.
On September 16, Hanwha Aerospace announced that the Mohave successfully finished its simulated combat flight demonstration at the '2026 Defense Drone Technology Exhibition' held in Pocheon, South Korea.
The Mohave is a short takeoff drone jointly developed by Hanwha Aerospace and GA-ASI since last year. It is equipped with a high-power device and a 450-horsepower turboprop engine, allowing it to take off and land on runways as short as 100 to 300 meters.
During the demonstration, the Mohave took off from the Army's 513th Aviation Battalion airfield and landed on a narrow tank maneuvering path instead of a standard runway. It then took off again from the same spot and returned to the airfield along the planned route. The takeoff distance recorded was less than 200 meters, while the landing distance was in the 100-meter range. In a combat test conducted on the flight deck of the Dokdo-class amphibious assault ship in November 2024, it had previously taken off from a distance of less than 100 meters.
The Mohave can carry up to 1 ton of equipment necessary for mission execution, excluding the airframe and fuel. Depending on the equipment configuration, it can perform various missions, including ground attack, surveillance and reconnaissance, cargo transport, and communication relay.
Hanwha Aerospace plans to establish domestic research and production infrastructure for the development and production of the Mohave. The goal is to increase the domestic production ratio to over 70% during the mass production phase.
On September 21, a 'Mutual Cooperation Agreement Ceremony' will be held at the Changwon Plant 1 in Gyeongnam, where domestic drone industry stakeholders will gather to explore and expand cooperation with domestic suppliers in the parts and materials sector.
A Hanwha Aerospace official stated, 'By achieving the development and production of the Mohave based on mutual cooperation with the U.S. drone specialist General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and domestic companies, we aim to lead the global drone market.'
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.