TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan and the UK signed a memorandum of understanding Thursday for a drone industry partnership at the Farnborough International Airshow.
The signing came during a week of Farnborough deals for Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. In a separate Friday statement, AIDC said it had secured more than NT$22 billion (US$680 million) in new civil aviation and engine orders, after renewing a distribution contract with a major US aerospace systems company earlier in the week.
The drone pact says Taiwan and the UK will establish a platform for drone research and development and marketing, while helping each other expand internationally. It aims to promote concrete cooperation and bilateral investment to strengthen technological capabilities and global competitiveness.
AIDC President Chuang Hsiu-mei (莊秀美) signed the MOU with ADS Group CEO Kevin Craven. The signing was witnessed by Taiwan Representative to the UK Yao Chin-hsiang (姚金祥) and ADS Group Director of International Affairs Julie Marionneau.
Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance Chair Tsao Chin-ping (曹進平) delegated Chuang to lead the Taiwan Aerospace Industry Association and several member firms. Chuang said Taiwan is well positioned to become the UK’s safest, most reliable, and most capable manufacturing partner in the Asia-Pacific.
Craven welcomed the partnership and said the platform would leverage complementary strengths in technology development and manufacturing to drive continued growth. He added that cooperation with the Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance is expected to generate new global business opportunities.
ADS Group is a UK industry association covering the aerospace, defense, security, and space sectors and is the parent company of Farnborough International, the event organizer. It helps more than 2,000 members pursue cooperation across the four industries.
The Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance was co-founded by AIDC and the Metal Industries Research and Development Centre under the guidance of the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Tsao heads the alliance, while the research center handles administrative affairs, drone industry integration, and connections between government and companies in Taiwan and overseas.
