SMESs on target at Korea's largest arms fair

From virtual reality to energy-efficient drones, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups in the defense and aerospace industries showcased their products at the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition.

A Korean soldier demonstrates Ares’s parachute simulator at its booth set at the Seoul ADEX 2023 at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, on Tuesday. [CHO JUNG-WOO]

SEONGNAM, Gyeonggi — From virtual reality to energy-efficient drones, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups in the defense and aerospace industries showcased their products at the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (ADEX) on Tuesday.

The SMEs that participated in this year's ADEX were mainly centered on software, auto parts and training devices, while many visitors and buyers showed high interest in drone companies.

Ares, a Daejeon-based modeling and simulation startup, is one of the 347 domestic companies participating in the six-day show held every other year.

Established in 2008, the company began developing war game training models, allowing Korean military personnel to train virtually.

According to the war game modeling company, they are the only enterprise exporting such models overseas, such as Indonesia.

At the exhibit booth on Tuesday, a Korean Army soldier in straps and wearing a VR device showcased the company’s parachute simulator called PASIM as buyers and visitors gathered.

The soldier's hair blew in the wind from a machine on the floor as he lay prone as if he were actually parachuting.

People at the booth could see what the soldier saw through the VR eyewear over a monitor.

The parachute simulator and other VR simulators, such as the Air Force pilot ejection simulator, are used in the Korean military to train personnel.

“The VR market in the defense industry is constantly growing,” the company spokesperson said at the booth in Seoul Air Base, Seongnam, Gyeonggi.

“The market will inevitably grow because other technologies such as those related to augmented reality (AR) are limited in enabling the military to train in different environments.”

The global VR market size in the aerospace and defense industries stood at $391.9 million in 2018 and is projected to reach $5.84 billion by 2026, according to Fortune Business Insights.

Drones were also popular among the participants.

An employee at aerial robotics company Autel Robotics based in the U.S. demonstrates a drone at the company booth at the Seoul ADEX 2023 in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, on Tuesday. [CHO JUNG-WOO]

Autel Robotics, an aerial robotics company based in the U.S., showcased its Dragonfish Series, a series of drones in three different sizes.

The Dragonfish Pro, the largest of the series, can fly 158 minutes at a maximum speed of 108 kilometers per (67 miles per hour) while carrying a payload.

According to the company’s spokesperson at the booth, drones have been in high demand in recent years as they can be used in safety, firefighting and police patrol.

These drones are also equipped with zoom and thermal cameras and are much more energy-efficient as they take off and land vertically.

The Seoul Adex 2023 will host exhibition booths from 550 companies worldwide through Sunday. The show will only be open to the public over the final two days.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]