General Atomics’ Mojave STOL becomes first MALE drone to land and relaunch from battlefield tank route
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General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and Hanwha Aerospace successfully executed the first-ever landing and relaunch sequence with a medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aircraft from a simulated battlefield operating site in Pocheon, South Korea. Operating during the 2026 Defense Drone Technology Exhibition, the Mojave STOL departed from the ROK Army 513th Aviation Battalion airfield and touched down on a rough tank maneuver route at Seungjin Training Field before relaunching. This demonstration validated the aircraft’s short takeoff and landing performance capabilities in austere environments without relying on conventional runways.
The Mojave STOL completed its flight sequence with a takeoff run under 200 meters and a landing roll within the 100-meter range while carrying dual weapon rails with inert payloads. Jointly developed under a partnership initiated in 2025, the platform targets a critical design review in November 2026 and a local mass-production domestic share exceeding 70 percent.
Related topic: U.S. Mojave UAS Expands into Drone Hunter and Air Defense Suppression Roles
General Atomics’ Mojave STOL became the first MALE UAS to land on and relaunch from a simulated battlefield route used by tanks and artillery during an exercise in South Korea. (Picture source: GA-ASI)
On September 16, 2026, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) and Hanwha Aerospace’s Mojave STOL became the first MALE UAS to complete a landing-and-relaunch sequence from a simulated battlefield operating site. Flying from the South Korean Army’s 513th Aviation Battalion in Pocheon-si to Seungjin Training Field, the Mojave landed on a rough maneuver route used primarily by tanks and artillery vehicles, took off again from the same route, and returned to the battalion. The ground-controlled unmanned aircraft carried two weapon rails with inert payloads and required less than 200 m for takeoff and a landing roll in the 100 m range. Previous Mojave trials had demonstrated short takeoff and landing (STOL) operations from a prepared dirt strip and shipboard operations, but the new sortie inserted a recovery and relaunch point directly into terrain used by ground maneuver forces rather than a conventional runway or dedicated aviation strip. With a published takeoff ground roll of 122 m in ISR configuration and 305 m with 12 AGM-114 Hellfires, the Mojave also shows how weapons and fuel loading directly affect the number of forward locations from which the aircraft can operate.
The Pocheon sortie tested a forward recovery cycle rather than simply another short landing. The Mojave departed the 513th Aviation Battalion runway, flew to Seungjin, joined operations over the training area, landed on the maneuver route, took off again, and recovered at its original airfield. Unlike the dedicated dirt surface used during its 2023 California trials, the Korean landing area was principally a route for tanks and self-propelled howitzers. The test nevertheless covered only part of the proposed combat cycle: no fuel was transferred, no live ammunition was loaded, no maintenance turnaround was conducted, and no time between landing and relaunch was published. A combat sortie generated from such a location would also logically require aviation fuel, weapons, loading equipment, maintainers, and communications at the forward site before the Mojave arrived. This distinction is operationally important because reducing runway requirements does not eliminate the logistics required to generate another armed sortie.
The Mojave’s ability to use such surfaces comes from substantial changes to the conventional MQ-1 Predator family. The Mojave STOL measures 16 m across the wings and 9 m in length, has a maximum gross weight of 3,175 kg, and is powered by a 450-shp M250 turboprop engine in pusher configuration. Its short-field performance comes from an enlarged wing using leading-edge slats, double-slotted flaps, and drooping ailerons to increase lift at low airspeed, combined with large tires and a reinforced shock-absorbing landing gear intended to tolerate rough surfaces. During the August 1, 2023 El Mirage trials, the Mojave took off from dirt in 179 m and landed in 102 m, figures close to the less-than-200-m takeoff and 100-m-range landing recorded in Korea. The more important variable is aircraft loading: the published 122-m ISR takeoff becomes 305 m with 12 Hellfires, adding 183 m and increasing ground roll by 150%. Maximum endurance exceeds 25 hours, maximum altitude is 25,000 ft, maximum speed is 140 kt, and SATCOM-supported ferry range is 2,500 nmi, but these maxima represent different loading conditions rather than one simultaneously achievable configuration.
The unmanned aircraft’s useful load of 1,542 kg equals 48.6% of its maximum gross weight and is distributed across seven external stations. Four inboard hardpoints are rated at 295 kg each, two outboard stations at 159 kg each, and the centerline station at 227 kg, but wing stores are limited to 635 kg per wing and 1,270 kg total. The Mojave can carry as many as 16 Hellfires, but in April 2024, it also flew with two DAP-6 pods containing M134D-H miniguns and expended more than 10,000 rounds against ground targets at Yuma Proving Ground. Alternatively, useful load can be allocated to electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensors, synthetic aperture radar/ground moving target indication (SAR/GMTI), signals intelligence (SIGINT), or communications relay. What changed with the September 2026 trial was the operating environment: El Mirage used a dirt aviation test area, whereas Seungjin inserted the aircraft onto a narrow route principally used for tank and artillery movement.
The September flight also follows five years of tests that progressively added different operating conditions. The Mojave first flew in summer 2021; on August 1, 2023, it demonstrated 179-m dirt takeoffs and 102-m landings near El Mirage. On November 15, 2023, it launched from and recovered aboard the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales without catapult assistance or arresting gear, departing at an angle rather than using the carrier centerline or ski-jump. The April 2024 Yuma test added direct-fire employment with more than 10,000 Minigun rounds. On November 12, 2024, Mojave launched from the lead ship of the South Korean Dokdo-class amphibious assault ship, the ROKS Dokdo (LPH-6111), conducted two simulated landing passes, and then recovered ashore at Pohang rather than aboard the ship. Pocheon added another step by combining recovery and relaunch from a tank and artillery maneuver route during the same mission, rather than demonstrating a capability already established by the earlier dirt-strip trials.
The Mojave remains a single demonstrator, as the production objective is the Gray Eagle STOL. GA-ASI and Hanwha signed their co-development and co-production agreement on October 14, 2025, with the Critical Design Review (CDR) scheduled for November 2026, first flight in 2027, and first delivery in 2028. The production aircraft combines the STOL concept with the technology of the Gray Eagle 25M, including a flight computer with five times the previous processing capacity and a Heavy Fuel Engine 2.0 increasing output from 180 to 200 hp, or 11.1%. Dual brushless generators provide more than 50% additional electrical power, while the engine, gearbox, and generator redesign is intended to extend engine replacement intervals by 40%. The associated EagleEye SAR variant will detect and track ground targets at 80 km and maritime targets at 200 km. Thus, the Mojave milestones define the operating envelope being transferred into the Gray Eagle STOL design, which is important as dispersed operation shifts maintenance and power requirements away from established aviation infrastructure.
South Korea is also intended to become a manufacturing base rather than simply an operator of imported aircraft. Hanwha targets more than 70% Korean production content during mass production, with domestic R&D, manufacturing, assembly, and suppliers supporting the program, while GA-ASI retains final integration and continues other Gray Eagle production in San Diego. The timetable moves from the October 2025 agreement to Critical Design Review 13 months later, first flight in 2027 and initial delivery in 2028, with South Korea, U.S. customers and international operators targeted. The Mojave is also scheduled to be present during Hanwha’s Industry Day in Changwon on September 21, 2026, five days after the Pocheon flight, as Korean suppliers are participating in the production effort. The industrial objective therefore runs in parallel with the flight-test program: transfer the STOL configuration demonstrated by Mojave into a production aircraft while establishing a Korean supply chain capable of producing more than 70% of its content.
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Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, South Korea, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.
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General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and Hanwha Aerospace successfully executed the first-ever landing and relaunch sequence with a medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aircraft from a simulated battlefield operating site in Pocheon, South Korea. Operating during the 2026 Defense Drone Technology Exhibition, the Mojave STOL departed from the ROK Army 513th Aviation Battalion airfield and touched down on a rough tank maneuver route at Seungjin Training Field before relaunching. This demonstration validated the aircraft’s short takeoff and landing performance capabilities in austere environments without relying on conventional runways.
The Mojave STOL completed its flight sequence with a takeoff run under 200 meters and a landing roll within the 100-meter range while carrying dual weapon rails with inert payloads. Jointly developed under a partnership initiated in 2025, the platform targets a critical design review in November 2026 and a local mass-production domestic share exceeding 70 percent.
Related topic: U.S. Mojave UAS Expands into Drone Hunter and Air Defense Suppression Roles
General Atomics’ Mojave STOL became the first MALE UAS to land on and relaunch from a simulated battlefield route used by tanks and artillery during an exercise in South Korea. (Picture source: GA-ASI)
On September 16, 2026, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) and Hanwha Aerospace’s Mojave STOL became the first MALE UAS to complete a landing-and-relaunch sequence from a simulated battlefield operating site. Flying from the South Korean Army’s 513th Aviation Battalion in Pocheon-si to Seungjin Training Field, the Mojave landed on a rough maneuver route used primarily by tanks and artillery vehicles, took off again from the same route, and returned to the battalion. The ground-controlled unmanned aircraft carried two weapon rails with inert payloads and required less than 200 m for takeoff and a landing roll in the 100 m range. Previous Mojave trials had demonstrated short takeoff and landing (STOL) operations from a prepared dirt strip and shipboard operations, but the new sortie inserted a recovery and relaunch point directly into terrain used by ground maneuver forces rather than a conventional runway or dedicated aviation strip. With a published takeoff ground roll of 122 m in ISR configuration and 305 m with 12 AGM-114 Hellfires, the Mojave also shows how weapons and fuel loading directly affect the number of forward locations from which the aircraft can operate.
The Pocheon sortie tested a forward recovery cycle rather than simply another short landing. The Mojave departed the 513th Aviation Battalion runway, flew to Seungjin, joined operations over the training area, landed on the maneuver route, took off again, and recovered at its original airfield. Unlike the dedicated dirt surface used during its 2023 California trials, the Korean landing area was principally a route for tanks and self-propelled howitzers. The test nevertheless covered only part of the proposed combat cycle: no fuel was transferred, no live ammunition was loaded, no maintenance turnaround was conducted, and no time between landing and relaunch was published. A combat sortie generated from such a location would also logically require aviation fuel, weapons, loading equipment, maintainers, and communications at the forward site before the Mojave arrived. This distinction is operationally important because reducing runway requirements does not eliminate the logistics required to generate another armed sortie.
The Mojave’s ability to use such surfaces comes from substantial changes to the conventional MQ-1 Predator family. The Mojave STOL measures 16 m across the wings and 9 m in length, has a maximum gross weight of 3,175 kg, and is powered by a 450-shp M250 turboprop engine in pusher configuration. Its short-field performance comes from an enlarged wing using leading-edge slats, double-slotted flaps, and drooping ailerons to increase lift at low airspeed, combined with large tires and a reinforced shock-absorbing landing gear intended to tolerate rough surfaces. During the August 1, 2023 El Mirage trials, the Mojave took off from dirt in 179 m and landed in 102 m, figures close to the less-than-200-m takeoff and 100-m-range landing recorded in Korea. The more important variable is aircraft loading: the published 122-m ISR takeoff becomes 305 m with 12 Hellfires, adding 183 m and increasing ground roll by 150%. Maximum endurance exceeds 25 hours, maximum altitude is 25,000 ft, maximum speed is 140 kt, and SATCOM-supported ferry range is 2,500 nmi, but these maxima represent different loading conditions rather than one simultaneously achievable configuration.
The unmanned aircraft’s useful load of 1,542 kg equals 48.6% of its maximum gross weight and is distributed across seven external stations. Four inboard hardpoints are rated at 295 kg each, two outboard stations at 159 kg each, and the centerline station at 227 kg, but wing stores are limited to 635 kg per wing and 1,270 kg total. The Mojave can carry as many as 16 Hellfires, but in April 2024, it also flew with two DAP-6 pods containing M134D-H miniguns and expended more than 10,000 rounds against ground targets at Yuma Proving Ground. Alternatively, useful load can be allocated to electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensors, synthetic aperture radar/ground moving target indication (SAR/GMTI), signals intelligence (SIGINT), or communications relay. What changed with the September 2026 trial was the operating environment: El Mirage used a dirt aviation test area, whereas Seungjin inserted the aircraft onto a narrow route principally used for tank and artillery movement.
The September flight also follows five years of tests that progressively added different operating conditions. The Mojave first flew in summer 2021; on August 1, 2023, it demonstrated 179-m dirt takeoffs and 102-m landings near El Mirage. On November 15, 2023, it launched from and recovered aboard the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales without catapult assistance or arresting gear, departing at an angle rather than using the carrier centerline or ski-jump. The April 2024 Yuma test added direct-fire employment with more than 10,000 Minigun rounds. On November 12, 2024, Mojave launched from the lead ship of the South Korean Dokdo-class amphibious assault ship, the ROKS Dokdo (LPH-6111), conducted two simulated landing passes, and then recovered ashore at Pohang rather than aboard the ship. Pocheon added another step by combining recovery and relaunch from a tank and artillery maneuver route during the same mission, rather than demonstrating a capability already established by the earlier dirt-strip trials.
The Mojave remains a single demonstrator, as the production objective is the Gray Eagle STOL. GA-ASI and Hanwha signed their co-development and co-production agreement on October 14, 2025, with the Critical Design Review (CDR) scheduled for November 2026, first flight in 2027, and first delivery in 2028. The production aircraft combines the STOL concept with the technology of the Gray Eagle 25M, including a flight computer with five times the previous processing capacity and a Heavy Fuel Engine 2.0 increasing output from 180 to 200 hp, or 11.1%. Dual brushless generators provide more than 50% additional electrical power, while the engine, gearbox, and generator redesign is intended to extend engine replacement intervals by 40%. The associated EagleEye SAR variant will detect and track ground targets at 80 km and maritime targets at 200 km. Thus, the Mojave milestones define the operating envelope being transferred into the Gray Eagle STOL design, which is important as dispersed operation shifts maintenance and power requirements away from established aviation infrastructure.
South Korea is also intended to become a manufacturing base rather than simply an operator of imported aircraft. Hanwha targets more than 70% Korean production content during mass production, with domestic R&D, manufacturing, assembly, and suppliers supporting the program, while GA-ASI retains final integration and continues other Gray Eagle production in San Diego. The timetable moves from the October 2025 agreement to Critical Design Review 13 months later, first flight in 2027 and initial delivery in 2028, with South Korea, U.S. customers and international operators targeted. The Mojave is also scheduled to be present during Hanwha’s Industry Day in Changwon on September 21, 2026, five days after the Pocheon flight, as Korean suppliers are participating in the production effort. The industrial objective therefore runs in parallel with the flight-test program: transfer the STOL configuration demonstrated by Mojave into a production aircraft while establishing a Korean supply chain capable of producing more than 70% of its content.
Explore More Defense News
• Land Defense News
• Naval Defense News
• Defense Aerospace News
Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, South Korea, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.
