South Korea sets military drone standards
· UPIJuly 6 (Asia Today) -- South Korea's defense quality agency said Monday it has established three new defense standards for military unmanned aircraft systems, setting common rules for terminology, classification, flight performance testing and environmental testing.
The Defense Agency for Technology and Quality said the standards were approved after review by the Defense Acquisition Planning and Management Working Committee.
The agency said the standards are significant because they establish a terminology and classification system for military drones and set basic principles and procedures for flight performance and environmental testing of multicopter drones weighing 25 kilograms, or about 55 pounds, or less.
The standards also organize testing procedures and considerations so performance can be verified across different missions and operating environments.
The flight performance testing standards cover maximum flight time, maximum horizontal speed, hovering, automatic route flight, emergency return and obstacle detection and avoidance.
The environmental testing standards cover operation under various conditions, including high and low temperatures, humidity, water resistance, discharge, vibration, shock and wind resistance.
The agency said the standards will allow companies developing military drones to refer to testing methods during development. Acquisition agencies and testing institutions will also be able to use standardized procedures when verifying performance.
Shin Sang Bum, president of the Defense Agency for Technology and Quality, said the standards create a foundation for evaluating military drone performance under consistent criteria.
"We have established a foundation for confirming the performance of military drones based on consistent standards," Shin said. "We will continue pursuing defense standardization activities to strengthen the basis for verifying the performance of military drones."
-- Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260706010002005