AIDC, Corrections Agency hold counter-drone drill

Taiwanese aerospace company Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. (AIDC) said yesterday that it had participated in the Agency of Corrections’ first-ever counterdrone drill earlier this month.

The drill, which took place on Sept. 18 at Changhua Prison, was part of a wider exercise to test the preparedness of the Ministry of Justice’s anti-riot Ching An Squad.

Under the agency’s scenario, one drone carrying contraband for airdropping had breached the prison compound. The system broadcast warnings and collected evidence.

Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien, third from right, presents a letter of appreciation to Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation Wire President Chuang Hsiu-mei, third from left, during a meeting in Taichung earlier this month.

Photo courtesy of Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation

After the drone’s operator was autonomously located, a squad member then neutralized the drone using a jammer.

The agency said the drill was staged in response to emerging challenges facing the security of correctional facilities, given modern technological advancements.

The counterdrone system deployed in the drill was capable of "smart" detection, combining active radar, a radio frequency detector and jammers, and had a detection range of 5 kilometers, AIDC said in a statement

The "smart" detection feature allows the operator to identify the make of incoming drones and locate their pilots, AIDC told CNA.

In addition, the counterdrone system is powered by artificial intelligence, which prioritizes targets with higher threat levels when there are multiple inbound threats, AIDC added.

AIDC President Chuang Hsiu-mei (莊秀美) said the system debuted at the 2025 Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition and has since been continually refined.

The system is "100 percent" free of Chinese components and poses no threats of information security, Chuang noted.

It adopts an open-ended structure, allowing for rapid integration with sensors and other equipment made by other manufacturers, making it highly flexible and scalable, Chuang added.