March 5, 2026:
Hanwha Group is a $65 billion annual sales South Korean conglomerate with operations in more than 50 countries. One American operation is a shipyard in Philadelphia with a shortage of qualified workers along with outdated and poorly maintained equipment. Hanwha had a contract to build the State of Maine training ship for the U.S. Maritime Administration/MARAD. This is an 8,500 ton, 160 meter long vessel with a crew of 100. The State of Maine is the third of five ships in this class. Because of the inadequate workforce and deplorable conditions of the shipyard, Hanwha is uncertain when they will actually get the work done.
Other Hanwha projects are completed on time and usually under budget. One example of this is the 25 ton, twin-engine, single-seat South Korean jet fighter-bomber which recently entered service. The engines are American F414 models built in South Korea under license. Up to 7.7 tons of weapons can be carried for surface attack missions. There is an internal 20mm autocannon with 480 rounds of ammunition. Max combat range is 1,000 kilometers while ferry range, carrying only additional fuel pods, is 2,900 kilometers.
Delivery of the first 40 Block 1 air superiority aircraft will be completed in 2028. After that, 80 Block 2 fighter-bombers are to be ordered and delivered by 2032. The Block 3 stealth version will show up sometime in the 2030s. This year South Korea began development of a South Korean engine for the KF-21. The new engine will be available when the Block 3 aircraft arrive in the 2030s. Block 1 and 2 aircraft will also be able to use this new South Korean engine. Jet fighters wear out several engines during their usual 30-40 years of service. The current engine for the KF-21 is the American GE F414, which is built under license in South Korea. The South Korean engine will be built by Hanwha.
Three years ago, after decades of incremental improvements in UGVs/Unmanned Ground Vehicles, Estonia and South Korea recently delivered UGV models that troops find useful, dependable and easy to operate. The most recent is the 2022 South Korean Arion-SMET/Autonomous and Robotic systems for Intelligence Off-road Navigation – Small Multi-purpose Equipment Transport. Arion is a 6x6 version of a 2019 4x4 UGV that was adequate for civilian uses but not for the more dangerous and demanding military operations. A major improvement for the 2022 Arion is the vehicle software, particularly the autonomous capabilities and ease of use for operators. Hanwha, the developer and manufacturer, has been developing UGVs since 2006 and created lots of incremental improvements in UGV design.
Arion can carry up to 550 kg of cargo or accessories. The primary use is battlefield transport of ammunition and other supplies as well as evacuation of casualties. Additional vehicle equipment turns Arion into a reconnaissance vehicle which can also call-in artillery fire or airstrikes. Standard equipment includes gunfire detection that quickly locates where gunfire is coming from. Arion can also be armed with a machine-gun controlled by a remote operator or autonomously. The navigation system can follow a specific nearby individual or autonomously find its way to a location. An onboard diesel generator charges the batteries which, on a full charge, enable Arion to travel up to 100 kilometers. Max road speed is 43 kilometers an hour while it is 34 kilometers offroad.