Historical developments in USV, UUV and UGV systems. Original milestones, source-linked evidence and reviewed UXV Searcher analysis.
The ROK Navy Operations Command issued tender R26BK01470931 on April 16, 2026 for a combat experiment intended to verify operational effects through USVs. The procurement budget was KRW 250 million, with the service planned through December 31, 2026 and USV-related equipment required within four months after contracting.
Original event: 16 Apr 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Anduril reported that a new autonomous surface vessel prototype had entered production at HD Hyundai's Ulsan shipyard on April 20, 2026. The program combines Korean shipbuilding with Anduril autonomy for prospective U.S. Navy autonomous-vessel requirements. The construction milestone does not itself establish a U.S.
Original event: 20 Apr 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
HD Hyundai, Anduril Industries and the American Bureau of Shipping signed a three-party framework on April 22, 2026 covering autonomous surface-vessel design, autonomy integration, verification and classification. The agreement supports development and assurance of autonomous maritime systems. It is a cooperation framework rather than a procurement contract.
Original event: 22 Apr 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
The initial commercial-USV combat-experiment procurement R26BK01447953 concluded without a successful award in late April 2026. Procurement-system timestamps around the unsuccessful outcome are internally inconsistent, so the exact day is not forced. This is a distinct tender-outcome milestone preceding the April 28 re-tender.
Original event: April 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
Following failure of the initial procurement, the ROK Navy Operations Command re-tendered the commercial-USV and target-utilization combat-experiment service on April 28, 2026. The budget remained KRW 90 million and the re-tender required delivery of the USV/control/target package under the detailed specification.
Original event: 28 Apr 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
Factory IMS was identified as the selected contractor for the ROK Navy's USV operational-effects combat-experiment service on May 18, 2026. The underlying tender budget was KRW 250 million, but a final winning value was not publicly visible in the validated source set. The event is therefore classified as contractor selection rather than contract signing.
Original event: 18 May 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
LIG Defense & Aerospace demonstrated intelligent command and control of heterogeneous unmanned surface vessels on May 27, 2026. Four live USVs were integrated with virtual assets, including Sea Sword-3, Sea Sword-5 and Sea Sword-S, and the event demonstrated cooperative autonomous maritime operations.
Original event: 27 May 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
ROK Navy Headquarters issued the initial tender for a combat experiment against maritime threats from drones and USVs on June 1, 2026. The correct procurement identifier is R26BK01555160, with a KRW 574.39 million budget and an estimated price of approximately KRW 522.173 million.
Original event: 1 Jun 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Skaramangas Shipyards announced strategic defense cooperation on June 2, 2026 for prospective Greek naval and coast-guard programs. The official MOU is broad, while supporting reporting explicitly includes unmanned surface vessels and manned-unmanned combined naval systems among the areas of cooperation.
Original event: 2 Jun 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
Hanwha Systems launched its 30-ton-class combat USV in early June 2026, completing the first physical prototype milestone before sea trials. The platform is part of Hanwha's broader autonomous maritime development portfolio.
Original event: June 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
Following its early-June launch, Hanwha Systems' 30-ton combat USV entered sea trials between Busan and the Geoje/Jangmok area. Public reporting confirms that trials were underway by the July 9 disclosure, but the exact trial commencement date was not released.
Original event: June 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
Jeonbuk Province and Jeonju City were selected for a five-year Defense Innovation Cluster program on June 12, 2026. The broader KRW 49 billion cluster supports multiple defense technology domains, including drones, ground robots and unmanned surface vessels, along with test and commercialization infrastructure.
Original event: 12 Jun 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
ADD issued a pre-specification notice on June 16, 2026 for implementation of a USV navigation and navigation-sensor data analysis model. The pre-specification identifier was R26BD00241421 / RE260143DD and the stated project amount was KRW 400.1 million. This is a pre-tender specification stage; the formal procurement followed in July.
Original event: 16 Jun 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
After the initial procurement failed, ROK Navy Headquarters issued re-tender R26BK01588145 on June 17, 2026 for the drone/USV maritime-threat combat experiment. The procurement retained the KRW 574.39 million budget. This is a distinct re-tender lifecycle event and should not be conflated with the initial R26BK01555160 procedure.
Original event: 17 Jun 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
The initial ROK Navy maritime-threat combat-experiment tender R26BK01555160 concluded unsuccessfully on June 18, 2026. No supplier was selected and no delivery or contract followed from the initial procedure. The outcome is a distinct procurement lifecycle event and must not be confused with the June 17 re-tender R26BK01588145.
Original event: 18 Jun 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
ROK Navy and Army forces conducted a critical-facility integrated port-defense exercise on June 18, 2026 using an actual unmanned surface vessel as a simulated penetrating maritime threat. The exercise tested detection and response procedures around protected port infrastructure. The event is a training and force-protection milestone, not a USV procurement.
Original event: 18 Jun 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
ADD issued formal tender R26BK01628741 on July 13, 2026 for implementation of the USV navigation/navigation-sensor data analysis model. The procurement budget was KRW 362.7 million and the estimated price was approximately KRW 329.727 million, with work proposed through October 31, 2029. The procurement remained pre-award within the validation cutoff.
Original event: 13 Jul 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
ADD issued tender R26BK01642380 on July 21, 2026 for a USV navigation/navigation-sensor data learning system. The procurement budget was KRW 656.8 million and the estimated price was approximately KRW 597.091 million, with work proposed through October 31, 2029. No award is claimed within the research cutoff.
Original event: 21 Jul 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026