Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Chan-dae) announced that it held the inaugural meeting of the Incheon Defense Industry Innovation Cluster Regional Council on September 2, where it appointed council members and deliberated on and approved the “Incheon Defense Innovation Cluster Project Plan (Draft).”

The Incheon Defense Innovation Cluster project is a large-scale initiative to establish a regionally driven defense industry ecosystem, with “AI aviation (edge AI-based counter-drone technologies)” designated as its specialized field.

Key initiatives will include the development of core technologies to neutralize and intercept unauthorized pilotless aircraft; the establishment of testing and demonstration infrastructure; support for the growth of promising SMEs and their entry into defense industry supply chains; and training of specialized personnel.

The newly launched regional council consists of 19 defense industry experts from industry, academia, research institutions, the military, and government. The council will be co-chaired by the Incheon Vice Mayor for Administrative Affairs and the Director General of the Defense Industry Promotion Bureau of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. They will oversee deliberation and decision-making on major projects and coordinate cooperation among participating organizations.

In particular, experts from key demand-side organizations, including the military and defense system companies, will play a major role in the council. They will help establish technology development directions aligned with field requirements and provide comprehensive support for promising small and medium-sized and venture companies in Incheon to enter defense industry supply chains.

The meeting covered the five-year master plan for 2026–2030 in depth and detailed implementation plans for the first year of the project in 2026. Council members agreed on the urgent need to localize core counter-drone technologies that are rapidly emerging as essential capabilities on modern battlefields. They also focused on discussing ways to foster promising companies in Incheon into competitive small and medium-sized defense companies through industry collaboration.

To put special efforts in responding to unauthorized pilotless aircraft entering areas near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) and urban areas, the project will cover a broad range of technologies, from edge AI-based detection systems to the development of interceptor drone technologies. The council also agreed to pool its capabilities to establish a comprehensive defense industry ecosystem that enables one-stop testing and demonstration by leveraging infrastructure within Incheon.

To achieve this goal, the city will further develop its support system spanning the entire process from R&D to demonstration, commercialization and business creation, and entry into military system companies’ supply chains. It also plans to hold a briefing session on the 2026 project in September through the Incheon Defense Industry Innovation Cluster Project Group.

With the launch of the regional council, the city plans to identify and foster leading companies in next-generation counter-drone defense technologies by 2030 and accelerate the transformation of the region’s key manufacturing industries into high-value-added defense industries. Through these efforts, Incheon aims to emerge as a “strategic hub for AI aviation and defense industries in Korea.”

Mayor Park Chan-dae stated, “The launch of the regional council marks a decisive starting point for the industry, academia, research institutions, military, and government to work closely together and put Incheon’s vision for the future of the defense industry into action.” He emphasized, “We will provide active support through comprehensive, one-stop assistance tailored to field requirements so that promising companies in Incheon can grow into key players that strengthen Korea’s national defense and security and globally lead the defense industry.”