Defense Minister's Cup Drone Bot Challenge Held in Goheung

Published 09 Aug.2023 12:32(KST)

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Main event to be held on September 14 at Goheung Drone Center

Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Gong Young-min) announced on the 9th that it held the preliminary round of the ‘2023 Ministry of National Defense Minister’s Drone Bot Challenge’ for two days starting August 7 at the Goheung Drone Center, hosted by the Ministry of National Defense.

The Drone Bot Challenge has been held annually since 2018 as part of efforts to foster domestic technology development for drone bots, inform the military’s operational concepts and capability requirements, and build consensus among the public and private sectors, industry, academia, and research institutions.

[Photo by Goheung-gun]

A military official explained that the competition was held under the Army Chief of Staff Cup until last year but was elevated to the Ministry of National Defense Minister’s Cup this year, with the preliminary rounds taking place accordingly, and that the competition has been continuously held in Goheung since 2019.

This preliminary round was a ‘mission-type challenge’ to verify tactical mission performance in situations similar to actual operational environments, covering two fields: short-range reconnaissance and mid-range reconnaissance. Seventeen drone-related organizations, including Korea Aerospace University and Korea Smart Drone, participated in the competition.

The participating teams in the preliminary round flew over 5 km from the starting point at the Goheung Drone Center’s outdoor drone experience site, passing through 2 to 3 route points (targets), and were evaluated on whether they fulfilled the given missions.

Additionally, the competition prioritized products applying domestic technology, and restricted fully manufactured or commercial products that were not directly produced by the participating teams.

Companies that pass the preliminary round will have the opportunity to participate in the finals held on September 14 at the Goheung Drone Center. Companies demonstrating excellent performance in the finals will be awarded plaques and prize money.

A military official stated, “Through this competition, we will do our best to enhance the status of Goheung as a drone-centered city, create demand markets in the public sector through the accumulated technological competitiveness from the competition, foster drone companies, and revitalize the local drone industry.”