Chiayi firm signs MOU to promote UAVs abroad

• By Lin Yi-chun and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer

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A Chiayi County-based drone company on Friday last week signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a consortium of Taiwanese uncrewed systems industry groups to promote Taiwanese drones in the North American market.

7A Drones Co and the North America Taiwan Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Association (NATUAVA) signed the MOU at the state-funded UAV AI Innovation Application R&D Center in Chiayi County.

Under the agreement, the association would help Taiwanese companies connect with North American governments, industry experts, system integrators and investors.

Representatives from 7A Drones Co and the North America Taiwan Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Association pose with a signed MOU in Chiayi County on Friday last week.

Photo: Lin Yi-chang, Taipei Times

The association would also help facilitate industry-to-industry development, and cooperate on developing disaster-response drone solutions for emergency rescue and critical infrastructure surveillance, it said.

Taiwan needs to seize the moment to enter the North American drone market as the US government seeks to establish non-Chinese drone supply chains, NATUAVA head Arthur Chen (陳世修) said.

Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) companies are ready to meet the region’s demand for drones and the association would leverage its extensive connections to help them, he said.

Taiwan’s UAV sector, with government support, has made strides in critical components manufacturing capabilities, particularly in key components such as propulsion and flight control modules, 7A Drones chief executive officer Hsu Hsin-sheng (許新勝) said.

7A Drones has good working relationships with high-quality Taiwanese manufacturers, and is confident it can provide drones made outside Chinese supply chains in collaboration with NATUAVA, he said.

Taiwan has strong capabilities in small and medium-sized drones, Chiayi County Commissioner Weng Chang-liang (翁章梁) said, adding that expanding UAV exports could lead to a new strategic industry for the nation.

The drone and artificial intelligence (AI) center houses eight commercial and academic research groups and has received delegations from 36 countries seeking cooperative pacts, the Chiayi County Economic Development Department said.

The center is an important mechanism for Taiwanese drone developers to participate in the global drive to establish secure non-Chinese UAV supply chains, it said.

The MOU is an example of the private sector’s ability to independently build connections with international markets and the center’s utility as a platform for international cooperation, the Chiayi County Government said.