South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace and US unmanned air vehicle (UAV) maker General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) have entered a development and production pact for the MQ-1C Gray Eagle STOL system.
The agreement marks a push by Hanwha to boost its presence in the UAV market and produce the MQ-1C locally, says the company.
“Hanwha Aerospace views unmanned systems as a strategic pillar for the future of defence,” says Dong Kwan Kim, vice chairman of Hanwha Group.
“Through our collaboration with GA-ASI, we aim to strengthen sovereign defence capabilities, expand Korea’s presence in the global UAS market, and contribute to a more robust [South Korea]-US alliance.”
Hanwha plans to invest KRW750 billion ($511 million) in co-developing and producing the Gray Eagle STOL (short take-off and landing). The partnership with GA-ASI will span areas such as planning, design, development, systems integration, production, and sales.
One objective is to set up a production line for the Gray Eagle STOL in South Korea, with the first flight of a locally produced example set for 2027.
Hanwha says that the MQ-1C is being “actively considered” by the South Korean government, but that no formal selection of the type has been made.
Nonetheless, Seoul is well aware of the system. In November 2024 a Gray Eagle STOL successfully took off from the South Korean amphibious assault ship ROKS Dokdo while the vessel was underway and landed at a naval airfield some 147nm (273km) away.
The STOL version of the Gray Eagle has a high degree of commonality with the type’s standard configuration, but uses a different engine, wings, control surfaces and landing gear.
