KOTRA signs MOU with US drone association to support K-drone firms' push into American market

Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency's Defense Industry Trade Support Center (KODITS) signed a memorandum of understanding with the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) in Washington on Monday (local time), KOTRA announced Wednesday.

The MOU was timed to coincide with the Korea-US Defense and Defense Industry Cooperation Conference, which the Ministry of National Defense and KOTRA are co-hosting in Washington through Wednesday, with the aim of expanding bilateral drone industry cooperation.

The conference program comprised a roundtable with roughly 10 K-defense companies seeking to enter the US market, the MOU signing with AUVSI, and a Korea-US defense and defense industry cooperation conference attended by about 100 government officials and business representatives from both sides.

To sell drones in the United States, manufacturers must obtain either Blue UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) certification, administered by the Defense Contract Management Agency under the Department of Defense, or Green UAS certification, administered by AUVSI.

Blue UAS is a certification framework used primarily by government agencies such as the Defense Ministry to verify cybersecurity and supply chain integrity for military and security drones. Green UAS applies Blue UAS's rigorous standards — adapted for civilian use — to ensure the safe operation of commercial drones.

Starting in July 2025, companies that obtain Green UAS certification will also be able to use a fast-track process to pursue Blue UAS certification. KOTRA said it expects the MOU and its cooperation with AUVSI to help K-drone companies enter both the civilian and military segments of the US market.

Cooperation under the MOU covers three broad areas: comprehensive collaboration and information sharing between the two countries' certification bodies to support K-drone companies' entry into the US civilian and military markets; joint hosting of conferences, workshops and other events to strengthen ties between the two sides' certification agencies; and sharing of information that K-drone companies need to pursue Green UAS and Blue UAS certification in the United States.

KOTRA President Kang Gyeong-seong said drones and robots are gaining recognition as core technologies in both the military and civilian sectors, driving growing demand. "We pursued this MOU to help Korean companies — which are drawing strong interest from the US side — obtain the certifications that are one of the key considerations for entering the American market," he said.

He added that KOTRA would work to expand K-drone companies' experience in the US market and, in cooperation with AUVSI, strive to have Korean domestic agencies recognized by the United States as accredited evaluation bodies.

Meanwhile, KOTRA set up a Korean pavilion last month at Xponential 2026, the world's largest unmanned vehicle exhibition, held in Detroit, to support 10 domestic drone companies in their efforts to enter the US market.