The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced Wednesday that it signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Fire Agency at the Gwacheon Government Complex to apply defense technologies to the firefighting sector.
Under the agreement, the two agencies will operate joint initiatives including linking defense technology outcomes to firefighting applications, pursuing joint research and development, providing access to defense testing and evaluation facilities, and running a civil-military technology cooperation council for the firefighting sector.
In particular, after reviewing the applicability of defense technology achievements to firefighting, the agencies decided to prioritize developing an unmanned surface vessel (USV) for fire rescue operations based on a USV originally developed for military reconnaissance.
The Korean military is currently developing a 14-meter-class USV to bolster surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities for Navy forward bases and major ports. The plan is to develop a fire rescue USV alongside this military platform.
LIG Nex1 is currently carrying out the system development project for the military reconnaissance USV. The project has a total budget of 39.9 billion won ($29 million), with two 14-meter-class USV prototypes scheduled for construction by next year.
Beyond this project, the agencies plan to continue identifying technology development and transfer opportunities that link defense technologies with firefighting needs.