General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) and Hanwha Aerospace have completed a demanding demonstration with the MOJAVE short take-off and landing UAS in South Korea. The companies describe the demo as the “first-ever flight operations from a simulated battlefield by a medium altitude, long endurance uncrewed aircraft”.

The MOJAVE, armed with 4 (inert, for the exercise) AGM-114 HELLFIRE missiles took off from a conventional runway at the Republic Of Korea Army’s 513th Aviation Battalion and flew to the Seungjin Training Field where it joined air operations, then landed on a rough maneuver trail used mostly by ROK Army tanks and artillery vehicles.

The aircraft then took off from the same unprepared surface, resumed air operations, and ultimately returned to the 513th Aviation Battalion base.

During a real operation, the landing of the MOJAVE so close to the front line, on an unprepared surface, would have enabled soldiers to refuel and re-arm it for a whole new sortie. No other aircraft with MOHAVE’s endurance, range or payload has this kind of rough terrain, short surface capability. This follows an earlier demonstration which saw MOJAVE take off from the deck of the amphibious ships DOKDO on November 4th, 2024.

Since 2025, GA-ASI has been partnered with Hanwha to co-develop and co-produce UAS with STOL capability targeting worldwide opportunities, including the United States, home market for GA-ASI. Critical Design Review (CDR) for a production-ready MOJAVE is expected in November this year with first flight in 2027.

So far, a single MOJAVE demonstrator is flying. This STOL-capable UAS can fly at a maximum altitude of 10,000 feet, with a speed of up to 140 knots (about 259 km/h). It has a maximum payload capacity of 1.5 tons, allowing it to carry, in theory, up to 16 Hellfire missiles. In a surveillance type sortie it can remain airborne for over 20 hours, while with a load of weapons endurance lowers to around 9 hours, depending on the exact configuration.

The MOJAVE STOL demonstrator now is scheduled to travel to Changwon where it will be on display at Hanwha’s Industry Day on September 21. The event will include an array of ROK suppliers, with many contributing to the production of the production-ready MOJAVE. MOJAVE is clearly a derivative in many ways of the PREDATOR / REAPER family but is a separate, specific design.

GA-ASI is in parallel working on a Short Take Off and Landing wing kit for the MQ-9B, with a focus on shipboard operations. MOJAVE’s sturdy undercarriage has been imagined from the beginning for austere field operations as well as potential ship applications. MOJAVE first operated from a ship in November 2023, landing and taking off on the Royal Navy’s HMS PRINCE OF WALES.

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