A redesigned version of the locally developed Teng Yun 2 uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) has been undergoing combat readiness tests since last month after failing them last year.
The combat and reconnaissance drone, also known as “Cloud Rider 2” (騰雲二型, Teng Yun 2), entered the final testing stage for the second time in the middle of last month, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday.
The source did not say when testing was expected to be completed.
Photo: Yu Tai-lang, Taipei Times
Under the Ministry of National Defense’s five-step development process, all weapons systems must pass an initial conceptual design stage, an engineering development stage, initial weapon testing and combat readiness testing before they can enter mass production.
Results from Teng Yun 2’s unsuccessful first final testing stage attempt in March last year indicated that there was “still room for improvement” in the drone’s design, the military said.
At the time, the military said that combat readiness tests would only be performed once changes were made to the drone’s software and hardware.
Developed by the military’s top research unit, the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, the latest generation of the Teng Yun drone family is a large, long-endurance, satellite-guided, medium-altitude UAV that can carry multiple payloads for surveillance or combat missions.
The institute first exhibited a Teng Yun 2 prototype at the 2019 Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition.
The drone passed initial weapon tests in March 2022 and later recorded a maximum flight time of 20 hours.
Air force personnel have since January last year been training to operate the Teng Yun 2.
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