TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s drone companies and research institutes expanded cooperation with the US through participation in Xponential 2026, aiming to improve research and development and build a trusted UAV supply chain outside China, CNA reported.
The four-day expo, which ended Thursday in Detroit, featured more than 550 exhibitors from around the world. The event showcased uncrewed systems, robotics, and AI technologies, ranging from experimental prototypes to real-world applications.
Officials from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs led a delegation to the expo. The event brought together 35 major Taiwanese drone and component manufacturers, marking Taiwan’s largest participation in the event to date.
Lu Wen-tsan (盧文燦), an official at the Industrial Development Administration, said the government aims to help local UAV makers work with international partners on flight control, communications, payload, and propulsion technologies through participation in global exhibitions. He added the goal is to help locally made UAVs enter the international mid- to high-end drone market.
The US has increasingly emphasized drones that meet National Defense Authorization Act requirements, including secure encrypted communication modules. Wu Tsung-tsong (吳政忠), director of the Industrial Technology Research Institute, said Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and information and communications technology allow it to supply more reliable communication modules.
At the event, the Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance and the Michigan Drone Association signed a cooperation agreement to collaborate on UAV autonomous flight control systems and urban air mobility technologies.
The alliance also signed a memorandum of understanding with the North Dakota Trade Office. The state has comprehensive drone testing facilities and a beyond-visual-line-of-sight testing network, the alliance said.
The office praised Taiwan’s drones for their stability in harsh weather conditions and communications performance. Through the partnership, Taiwanese companies will gain priority access to testing in the state, which is key to obtaining certification from the Federal Aviation Administration.
The alliance said Taiwan has also developed larger drones with greater intelligence and longer endurance, including hydrogen-powered drones and vertical takeoff and landing models. It added that these UAVs offer advantages in infrastructure inspections, border surveillance, and monitoring.
Some Taiwanese drone makers are also developing reconnaissance and patrol UAVs with AI edge computing capabilities, which drew strong interest from US buyers at the event, the alliance said.
