Taiwan has gathered 15 drone operators to visit the United States, led by Chang-Liang Weng, the Magistrate of Chiayi County, to participate in the US XPONENTIAL Unmanned Vehicle Expo. The Taiwan Pavilion is officially opened with the aim to break into the international supply chain market.
According to a press release from the Chiayi County Government, the 51st International Marine, Land, and Air Unmanned Vehicle and Autonomous Systems Industry Chain Expo (XPONENTIAL) is being held from April 23rd to 25th at the San Diego Convention Center in the United States. Magistrate Chang-Liang Weng is leading the delegation, collaborating with the Ministry of Economic Affairs to bring the Asian Unmanned Drone AI Innovation Application Development Center (referred to as “ASIAD Center,” SPACE CHIAYI) to the expo in the US, aiming to increase international visibility and create opportunities for cooperation with the global supply chain through Drone Taiwan.
“This exhibition is crucial to showcase Taiwan’s drone capabilities!” said Magistrate Weng. He emphasized the importance of building relationships with the global community, learning from other countries’ development models. This is the first international exhibition for the ASIAD Center, which serves as a leading base for promoting Taiwan’s drone industry. Since its inauguration by President Tsai Ing-wen on August 13, 2022, Chiayi has been declared as the Drone Taiwan team. Over the past two years, many domestic and foreign companies have joined, and the ASIAD Center has become a central procurement hub for all domestic and international drone operators.
During the opening of the Taiwan Pavilion on the morning of the 23rd, US commercial officer at the American Institute in Taiwan Du Jie-fu, Mr. Tom Mitchell, General Manager of the North American branch of the German Duesseldorf Exhibition Company, Ms. Heather Lee, CEO of the renowned AUVSI International Unmanned Systems Organization, April Chiang, Assistant Director of the Export Promotion Department at the Kansas Department of Commerce, and Kimberly Benson, CEO of UAS Center at SBD who signed an MOU with ASIAD Center on the 23rd, were present.
Taiwan boasts advanced information and communication technology industries that can supply flight control chips, microprocessors, image processing chips, and more essential for drones. According to research data from the International Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Commercial Intelligence Platform, Taiwan ranks third in the Drone Readiness Index (DRI) globally, only behind the UK and Australia. This indicates Taiwan’s various strengths. In the current climate of reducing dependence on red supply chains, Taiwan aims to demonstrate to the world that Taiwan Can Help.
Chen Chen-wei, Director of the Department of Economic Development, stated that the Taiwan Pavilion at the expo brings together 15 operators to showcase Taiwan’s research and development capabilities and technological standards in the drone industry. The participants include key players such as AeroVironment, Thunder Tiger, Taiwan Hope Innovation, XinLeFei, XuanYuan, ZhiFei, Jhong Optoelectronics, Fulland, among others, showcasing their most solid and advanced achievements.
Chen mentioned the highlights at the exhibition, including AeroVironment’s long-endurance VTOL fixed-wing drone, Thunder Tiger’s TM-450 TETTRON micro drone, TM-450 Hornet, ZhiFei’s TU-30VG vertical take-off and landing fixed-wing drone, Fulland’s medium-sized vertical take-off and landing drone, motors and electronic speed controllers, XuanYuan Sky Mini, XinLeFei’s high-payload A610 drone, Jhong Optoelectronics’ surveillance series 2024 H1 drone, Taiwan Hope Innovation’s group flying demonstration drone TD100-DSG330 and indoor inspection drone TD-TI-320.
The Department of Economic Development pointed out that the XPONENTIAL exhibition has over 40 years of history and is the largest and most authoritative unmanned vehicle industry expo, full of opportunities for commerce. By bringing together ASIAD Center’s resident manufacturers to participate, the goal is to engage in cooperation with international drone-related industries, break into the international supply chain market, and become the best partner for the US in Asia.
According to Central News Agency, former President and current Chairman of AeroVironment Lo Zheng-fang stated in an interview that Taiwan’s participation in this exhibition sends a message to the international community. Taiwan’s precision manufacturing, high-level chips, software AI technology, and large-scale production capabilities can enhance the competitiveness of the international drone community. He analyzed that democratic countries are striving to build a “non-red supply chain” to reduce reliance on Chinese components, presenting Taiwan with a significant opportunity to develop its drone industry.
Lo emphasized that drones are a strategic emerging industry that is increasingly important for Taiwan to enhance its asymmetric warfare capabilities. However, the development of the drone industry should not solely rely on the domestic market but should strive to align with the world. The primary purpose of this participation is to explore the North American drone market and become part of the supply chain. He mentioned that this exhibition is just a starting point, and with the assistance of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), US Commerce Department officials will bring representatives of major drone companies to Taiwan in September this year, seeking more stable and reliable supply chains in Taiwan.