The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said Wednesday it held an offset trade business briefing with U.S. defense firm Leonardo DRS at the Creative Economy Innovation Center on the sixth floor of DAPA's Daejeon office to explore industrial cooperation between the American company and Korean small and medium-sized enterprises.
The briefing was organized to identify collaboration opportunities between Leonardo DRS's various defense programs and domestic SMEs, and to expand their participation in international defense supply chains.
Around 80 SMEs, including defense innovation companies, attended the event.
Leonardo DRS identified metal material processing, precision machining capabilities and electric motor coil manufacturing as key areas for cooperation. The company also outlined plans for future technology collaboration and long-term supply chain participation.
"Through this briefing, we will expand practical opportunities for SMEs to cooperate with a world-class defense company and actively support their entry into international supply chains through the offset trade system," said Choi Eun-shin, acting director general of DAPA's Defense Industry Promotion Bureau.