Apex Aviation yesterday announced a partnership with artificial intelligence (AI) drone manufacturer Tekever to introduce AR3 drones — which have been deployed in the Russia-Ukraine war — to Taiwan, as the government moves to expand drone procurement and applications.
Apex, known for training pilots for domestic and overseas commercial airlines, signed an agreement with the Portugal-based manufacturer at the Taipei Airspace and Defense Technology Exhibition, which opened at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center yesterday.
The focus of the partnership is to develop capabilities combining crewed and uncrewed aircraft for aerial reconnaissance and surveillance tasks in Taiwan, and build a resilient defense system, the Taipei-based general aviation service provider said in a statement.
Photo: RITCHIE B. TONGO, EPA
The company has been participating in the government-funded Goshawk Project (蒼鷹計畫), in which it deploys a Tecnam P2012 Sentinel SMP twin-engine aircraft equipped with military-grade sensors to help detect Chinese military and research vessels operating around Taiwan.
While the crewed fixed-wing aircraft could be deployed to conduct long-range and wide-area scanning, drones could be dispatched to key areas to conduct long-duration surveillance and precise target identification, the company said.
The complementary roles of these two aircraft and real-time AI-assisted intelligence feedback would help build the nation’s capabilities in intelligence gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance, accelerate the decisionmaking process and enhance mission success rates, it added.
Apex has invested in training operators of drones weighing 25kg or heavier, it said.
Guidelines from the US Federal Aviation Administration and the EU Aviation Safety Agency have advised medium-sized-to-large drone operators to have a private pilot license, as it would ensure that they have a comprehensive understanding of flight principles, flight procedures, airspace control and meteorological conditions, and can cope with complex and high-risk circumstances.
Tekever, with its extensive experience from frontline operations, would serve as consultants in drone operators’ training, Apex said.
The AR3 drones feature a modular design that allows payloads to be quickly swapped according to mission requirements, enabling the integration of various sensors, such as synthetic aperture radar as well as electro-optical/infrared and SIGINT electronic intelligence systems, Apex said.
AR3 drones can operate in fixed-wing and vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) modes. The fixed-wing mode allows drones to operate for up to 16 hours, while they can safely land on a ship’s deck and on difficult terrain using the VTOL mode, making them fit for marine reconnaissance, border protection tasks and electronic warfare, it added.
The AR3 is paired with Tekever’s AI-driven data processing and application platform, ATLAS, which integrates AI-driven real-time analysis, mission replay, heat mapping, multi-drone coordination capabilities and other functions, Apex said.
The platform converts the collected data into useful intelligence, which decisionmakers could apply to enhance their understanding of their situations, it added.
AR3s have accumulated more than 10,000 flight hours during the Russia-Ukraine war and assisted troops to quickly identify and lock in valuable targets, the company said, adding that it has been incorporated into the British air force’s electronic warfare plan and used to counter hostile radar systems.
The US Special Operations Command also used the drones in drills to ensure that data can continue to transmit under strong electromagnetic interference, it said.
Tekever does not exclude the possibility of having AR3 drones manufactured in Taiwan following the partnership, Apex said.
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