Editor's note: this story was translated from the original VOA Korean article.
The U.S. 7th Air Force is seeking combat-proven drone countermeasure capabilities to modernize joint base defense in the Korean Peninsula operational theater.
The U.S. 7th Air Force began searching for companies with drone defense technology to be applied to the 'Project Iron Sentry' project through a Request for Information (RFI) released on the U.S. federal government procurement site on the 5th.
The U.S. 7th Air Force is headquartered at Osan Air Base, and the U.S. Pacific Air Force describes the 7th Air Force's mission as "to deter, protect, and defend the Republic of Korea from attacks by North Korea."
This information request comes amid growing concerns between the U.S. and South Korea regarding North Korea's drone capabilities.
According to the announcement, the official name of the program is 'Project Iron Sentry, Korean Peninsula Theater of Operations (KTO) Joint Base Defense Modernization'.
The 7th Air Force stated that the purpose of this information request is market research, not a bid for an actual contract.
At the same time, they stated that they are seeking “field-verified, theater-wide Small Unmanned Aerial System (C-sUAS) and Unmanned Aerial System (C-UAS) capabilities.”
Countering Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-sUAS) is a system for responding to small drones, and it refers to a series of capabilities that involve locating and tracking drones using radar, electro-optical equipment, etc., and then neutralizing them through jamming, electronic warfare, or interception means.
The 7th Air Force specifically requested capabilities that could be eligible for support from the U.S. Department of Defense's 'Advanced Procurement and Deployment of Innovative Technologies (APFIT)' program.
APFIT is a program designed to rapidly advance the procurement and actual deployment of innovative technologies required by Defense Department organizations, such as combat commands.
The 7th Air Force requested that qualified companies submit confirmation letters, quad charts, proposal briefing materials, etc.
This announcement did not specify which bases or facilities the drone countermeasure system will be deployed to, what types of drone threats are being anticipated, or whether changes in North Korea's drone capabilities influenced the implementation of this project.
North Korea announced that it conducted a joint firepower strike drill on the 12th of last month, mobilizing four types of weapon systems, including cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, large-caliber multiple rocket launchers, and attack drones.