KOTRA Signs MOU with AUVSI to Support "K-Drone" Industry

Supporting the Korea-U.S. Defense and Defense Industry Cooperation Conference in Washington

Facilitating U.S. Market Expansion for K-Drone Companies

The Defense Material Trade Support Center (KODITS) at the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (hereinafter KOTRA) announced on June 24 that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) for cooperation in the drone industry in Washington, D.C. on June 22 (local time).

This MOU was established to expand bilateral cooperation in the drone industry in conjunction with the “Korea-U.S. Defense and Defense Industry Cooperation Conference,” which was held by the Ministry of National Defense of Korea and KOTRA in Washington, D.C. from June 22 to 24. The conference consisted of the “K-Defense Industry Business Meeting” for Korean defense companies seeking to enter the U.S. market, the “MOU signing with AUVSI,” and the “Korea-U.S. Defense and Defense Industry Cooperation Conference,” which was attended by over 100 government officials and business representatives from both countries’ defense sectors.

Jang Sunggil, Head of Defense Material Trade Support Center at KOTRA (left), and Michael Robbins, Chairman of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), are taking a commemorative photo after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the 22nd (local time) in Washington D.C. Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency Photo by Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency

To sell drones in the United States, companies must obtain either the “Blue UAS” certification, overseen by the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) under the Department of Defense, or the “Green UAS” certification, managed by AUVSI.

While Blue UAS certification is a system designed to verify cybersecurity and supply chain integrity for government agencies such as the Department of Defense that primarily use drones for military and security purposes, Green UAS is an adapted certification system that applies the stringent standards of Blue UAS to civil-use drones to ensure their safe operation.

Since July last year, a fast-track process has also been available for those who have obtained Green UAS certification to acquire Blue UAS certification. As a result, this MOU and the cooperation with AUVSI are expected to facilitate the entry of Korean drone companies into both the civilian and military markets in the United States.

The specific areas of cooperation between KOTRA and AUVSI under this MOU are threefold: (1) comprehensive cooperation and information sharing, including collaboration between certification bodies of both countries to support Korean drone companies’ entry into the U.S. civilian and military markets; (2) joint hosting of conferences and workshops to enhance cooperation between the certification agencies of both countries; and (3) sharing information necessary for Korean drone companies to proceed with the U.S. civilian and military certification acquisition process.

Kang Kyungsung, President of KOTRA, stated, “The drone and robotics industries are attracting attention as core technologies in both the military and civilian sectors, with growing demand.” He explained, “This MOU was promoted to support certification acquisition, which is one of the key considerations for our companies’ entry into the U.S. market, amid increasing interest from the U.S. side in our advanced companies.” He added, “We will endeavor to expand overseas market experience for Korean drone companies in the U.S. and, by cooperating with AUVSI, help domestic institutions to be recognized as authorized evaluation agencies by the U.S. in the future.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.