The aircraft behind reports of runway-length capability near 100 meters is the Mojave, an unmanned short-takeoff-and-landing (STOL) aircraft developed by Hanwha Aerospace and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI). But the headline needs a qualification: the September 2026 South Korean demonstration was reported as a takeoff in less than 200 meters—not under 100 meters. The roughly 100-meter takeoff figure comes from a separate 2024 shipboard experiment. And the available reporting describes U.S. military interest, not a confirmed U.S. test, selection, or purchase.
What aircraft is the report about?
It is the Mojave STOL unmanned aircraft, a joint development by South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace and U.S.-based GA-ASI. STOL means short takeoff and landing: the aircraft is designed to operate using much shorter runways or takeoff areas than conventional aircraft typically require.
Two demonstrations account for the runway figures in circulation. They happened at different times and in different settings, so their distances should not be combined or treated as the same test.
| Demonstration | Reported distance | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| South Korea, September 16, 2026 | Takeoff: less than 200 meters; landing: in the 100-meter range | Maeil Business Newspaper (MK) reported the Mojave’s takeoff and landing distances during a South Korean demonstration. Source |
| ROKS Dokdo, November 2024 | Takeoff run: roughly 100 meters | The Asia Business Daily reported that the aircraft took off from the amphibious ship’s flight deck, flew for about an hour over the East Sea, then landed at a runway in Pohang. The report says a General Atomics official piloted it. Source |
Neither figure establishes a sub-100-meter takeoff. The 2026 report says “less than 200 meters,” while the 2024 shipboard account says “roughly 100 meters.” Those descriptions do not support claiming a verified takeoff run below 100 meters.
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Has the U.S. military tested or selected the Mojave?
The available reporting does not confirm that it has. The September 2026 report says the U.S. military is pursuing STOL unmanned aircraft and is showing interest in the Mojave, but attributes that claim to Hanwha Aerospace. It does not identify a U.S. test program, military unit, selection, contract, or acquisition decision.
That distinction matters: a company-reported expression of interest is not the same as a formal military evaluation or procurement. The documented demonstrations described above took place in South Korea.
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What is reported about the Mojave’s short-field capability?
Maeil Business Newspaper attributes the aircraft’s short-field performance to high-lift devices and a turboprop engine rated at approximately 450 horsepower. The report says it can operate on runways 100 to 300 meters long. These are reported aircraft details, not specifications established in an official U.S. military technical document among the sources available here.
The 2024 Dokdo flight is evidence of a shipboard takeoff experiment, not proof of routine deployment from ships. The aircraft’s subsequent landing was at an airfield in Pohang, rather than back aboard the ship.
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How short is that compared with other military aircraft?
Official U.S. fact sheets offer scale, but these are not like-for-like performance comparisons. The aircraft differ in mission, size, operating conditions, and the kind of distance being reported.
| Aircraft and source | Published distance | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Mojave, as reported by Maeil Business Newspaper | Takeoff under 200 meters in the September 2026 demonstration; landing in the 100-meter range | News report of a South Korean demonstration, not an official U.S. test report. Source |
| T-38, U.S. Air Force fact sheet | Minimum runway of 2,300 feet (695.2 meters) for takeoff | The T-38 is a twin-engine supersonic trainer; the fact sheet does not state a year for this figure. Source |
| C-17, U.S. Air Force fact sheet | As little as 3,500 feet (1,064 meters) for takeoff and landing | A large airlifter, not a direct comparator to a small unmanned aircraft. Its high-lift wing, slats, and externally blown flaps support operations at small, austere airfields. Source |
| F-35B, U.S. Marine Corps report (2010) | Less than 1,000 feet in a short-takeoff test | A separate STOVL fighter test at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, not evidence about Mojave performance. Source |
These distances describe different aircraft and contexts. In particular, the Mojave figures come from news reporting on demonstrations, while the U.S. figures come from official fact sheets or a Marine Corps test report. They should not be read as results from a shared test protocol.
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What the demonstrations do—and do not—show
The 2024 flight demonstrated that the Mojave could take off from the Dokdo’s flight deck in an experiment and continue on a roughly one-hour flight. The South Korean Navy was quoted by The Asia Business Daily as saying it would develop a concept for operating unmanned aircraft from ships to strengthen cooperation with manned maritime patrol aircraft. The report does not name the speaker.
That experiment indicates a possible maritime operating concept; by itself, it does not establish regular shipboard service. Likewise, the reported 2026 short-field demonstration and company-attributed U.S. interest do not establish a U.S. military test or adoption.
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