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The preliminary round of the 2026 Korea Drone Combat Challenge, a competition designed to accelerate the development of drone and counter-drone technologies and foster the growth of the related defense industry ecosystem, has successfully concluded.


On June 15, the Ministry of National Defense announced the final selection of four drone teams and four counter-drone teams that will advance to the final round of the competition.

Jointly organized by the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), the competition was established to promote innovation and strengthen the competitiveness of Korea’s drone and counter-drone industry.

Unlike conventional drone races or technology demonstrations, the Korea Drone Combat Challenge is the nation’s first field-validation competition in which offensive drone teams and defensive counter-drone teams compete under realistic combat engagement scenarios.

A total of 21 teams participated in the preliminary round, including 11 drone teams and 10 counter-drone teams. The competition was held from June 10 to 12 at the Seungjin Scientific Combat Training Center in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province.

Following a rigorous evaluation process, the four teams selected for the drone category finals were Preneu, Pablo Air & SimTreal, D-Brain, and Asseta, MobilityOne & A-Lux.

The teams advancing in the counter-drone category were BA Solutions, LOOP & Data Design Engineering, DAMS Tech, UbiFi & RFCore, RoboBlock System, I-One Lab & Jeonbuk Technical College, and Weonus, Dongin Optical & Samjung Solution.

The finalists will spend the next three months refining and enhancing their technologies before competing in the final round, scheduled to take place in September.

To support technological advancement among participating teams, the Ministry of National Defense proactively provided approximately KRW 2 billion (USD 1.5 million) in field-testing support funding prior to the preliminary competition. Through this initiative, teams further enhanced capabilities such as anti-jamming resilience, autonomous flight performance, and operational effectiveness of counter-drone systems before entering the competition.

In parallel with the preliminary competition, a technology demonstration event was held under the supervision of Vice Minister of National Defense Lee Doo-hee, showcasing advanced drone and counter-drone technologies developed by both military organizations and private-sector companies. The demonstration was widely regarded as an opportunity to assess the current state and future direction of Korea’s drone industry.

Vice Minister Lee stated, “The field-testing support budget provided during the preparation phase served as a catalyst for advancing the technological capabilities of participating companies. The final competition will offer an excellent opportunity to assess the current level of Korea’s advanced drone technologies while accelerating the development of a future-ready military force.”


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