Taiwan’s AIDC partners with Shield AI to advance drone development
台灣漢翔公司（AIDC）與美國國防科技公司（Shield AI）合作推進無人機開發
| TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. has signed a cooperation agreement with US defense technology firm Shield AI to jointly develop a system for drone manufacturing, assembly, testing, and maintenance.
The agreement focuses on sustainment, training, and autonomy integration to ensure Shield AI's products, such as its V-Bat drones, can be deployed and supported in Taiwan. The V-Bat, which has been deployed in the Russia-Ukraine war, is a vertical takeoff and landing drone used for surveillance and reconnaissance missions, per CNA. AIDC said that Shield AI’s drones will be serviced domestically by the company, while Shield AI will train Taiwanese technical personnel. AIDC added that it plans to replace maintenance parts for these UAVs with components manufactured in Taiwan. As part of the collaboration, Shield AI will introduce its Hivemind AI autonomous flight platform. Shield AI President Brandon Tseng praised AIDC's aerospace manufacturing expertise and hopes the partnership will enhance Taiwan's defense capabilities and support the growth of its drone and aerospace industries. Shield AI specializes in developing AI-powered drones and autonomous flight software. Most of the company's UAVs are equipped with strong anti-jamming capabilities and do not rely on GPS, making them well-suited for contested environments. The company has secured contracts with the US and Japan's military. Taiwan's Navy also plans to acquire the V-Bat model, which may be included in next year's defense budget. According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, AIDC became the first local company to get a cybersecurity certification from the US Department of Defense in May. That same month, Hu Kai-hung (胡開宏), the company’s chair and head of the Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance, led a delegation of domestic drone companies to the US to attend the Xponential exhibition. The delegation held talks on more than 20 potential collaborations, with deals estimated to exceed NT$1 billion (US$31.75 million). |
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| Carol Yang Taiwan News, Staff Writer | |
| 2025-09-15 |
