Pocheon City, Gyeonggi Province, announced on the 8th that it officially opened the FineVT E/W & Security LAB, in partnership with FineVT, a specialized UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) manufacturer, and successfully hosted the Global Alliance Founding Seminar on the 7th at the Convention Hall of the Pocheon Business Center.
The event brought together 23 companies from 10 countries, including Rohde & Schwarz, a global leader in electronic measurement and test solutions from Germany. Building on this milestone, Pocheon City aims to establish itself as a central hub for demonstration-based testing and collaborative research in defense and security technologies.
During the seminar, Pocheon City unveiled its future-oriented strategic initiative, the “NEXT-P Project,” which focuses on:
- Fostering AI-based drone components, materials, and aircraft Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO) industries
- Establishing a Defense Embedded Systems Cluster
- Developing a Drone Testing, Evaluation, and Certification Center
To support this vision, the city plans to utilize military training grounds and the Hantan River area as advanced test sites, creating a highly sophisticated, eco-friendly, and validation-oriented research infrastructure.
In the policy presentation session, the Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA) introduced the “K-Drone Airframe Supply Chain Initiative,” followed by a presentation from the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) emphasizing the critical importance of test sites for aerospace innovation.
In the corporate presentation session, Oh Se-jin, Director of the FineVT Research Institute, delivered a presentation titled “Standardization and MRO Strategies for Logistics Support System Drones.” Participating companies also reached a shared consensus on the necessity of expanding demonstration infrastructure and cultivating highly specialized professional talent.
Director Oh stated,
“As our first R&D initiative, we have been selected as the final awardee of the ‘2025 Demand-Driven Quantum Technology Demonstration and Consulting Project’ hosted by the National Information Society Agency (NIA) under the Ministry of Science and ICT, as part of the SK Broadband Consortium.”
He further explained that from 2025 to 2026, the project will conduct PQC (Post-Quantum Cryptography)-based KCMVP drone demonstrations and expert consulting, utilizing wired test sections in Pocheon and Goyang, as well as wireless testbeds in Pocheon.
Director Oh also outlined the roadmap for subsequent R&D initiatives:
- The second R&D project will focus on anti-drone electronic warfare (E/W) technologies to strengthen security for national critical infrastructure and military installations.
- The third R&D project will pursue standardization efforts to ensure interoperability between civilian and military drones, underscoring the importance of establishing an integrated defense system in preparation for future battlefield environments.
Director Oh is a recognized expert who has led technology audits, system design, and operational training for domestic and international military and government facilities in the fields of electronic warfare and security. He expressed confidence that these initiatives would position Pocheon as a national and global hub for defense and security technologies.
Building on the Global Alliance, Pocheon City plans to actively attract and expand collaboration with international defense and security companies, focusing on specialized technologies such as:
- Quantum cryptography-based security solutions
- Secure communication data links
- Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS)
Mayor Baek Young-hyun commented,
“This alliance marks a critical turning point in transforming Pocheon’s industrial potential into tangible research and technological outcomes. We will actively leverage Pocheon’s proven testbed infrastructure to ensure the success of the Army Headquarters’ drone standardization and MRO initiatives.”
He added,
“Through close collaboration with institutions such as the Seoul National University Intelligent Unmanned Systems Northern Gyeonggi Branch and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, we will accelerate the creation of joint research outcomes and strengthen Pocheon’s position as a strategic center for future defense technologies.”
