TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. has partnered with US-based space tech company Maxar Intelligence to collaborate on positioning and 3D mapping technologies, aiming to enhance drone navigation capabilities under adverse flight conditions.
AIDC General Manager Tsao Chin-ping (曹進平) and Maxar Intelligence Vice President for Asia Pacific Peter Hawkins signed a memorandum of understanding during the Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition, which ran from Thursday to Saturday, per CNA.
Tsao said that most unmanned aerial vehicles rely heavily on GPS for accurate and reliable navigation. However, in GPS-denied environments, insufficient navigation precision remains a significant technological challenge that Taiwan has yet to overcome.
AIDC highlighted Maxar’s strengths in high-resolution satellite imagery and geospatial data analytics. Its Raptor suite, a collection of vision-based software products, enhances the resilience and reliability of unmanned systems, enabling scalable autonomy across military and commercial operations.
The technology has undergone testing in domestic flight environments, AIDC said. In GPS-denied or signal-blocked scenarios, it uses AI to integrate drone imagery with 3D mapping and coordinate matching, enabling accurate navigation and target positioning.
Tsao said the integration of Maxar’s technologies is expected to enhance the operations and autonomous flight capabilities of Taiwan’s military drones. The collaboration also aims to support the establishment of a UAV testing and verification center, the development of industry standards, and market expansion, he added.
During the expo, AIDC also signed a cooperation agreement with US-based Orbital Composites, a company specializing in robotics, 3D printing, and composite materials. The partnership will focus on developing lighter and stronger aircraft structural materials using carbon fiber 3D printing.
AIDC showcased its self-developed military aircraft, counter-drone systems, and energy-saving equipment at the exhibition. The company added that its energy-saving solutions, when integrated with an energy management system, allow for flexible power scheduling. This enables users to charge during off-peak hours and switch to stored power during peak demand.
