Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience.
Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units.
The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said xCell’s integrated industrial-grade 3D printers and container units could be transported by almost any vehicle and go online within 24 hours of being deployed.
Combined with GTOC’s capabilities, the systems would enable Taiwan to speedily modify and manufacture uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) to suit shifting operational needs, he said.
Firestorm CEO Dan Magy said that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has demonstrated the importance of drones in modern warfare.
China and Russia could each produce up to 300,000 UAVs a month, compared with 30,000 a year for the US, which has long and vulnerable supply chains in the Indo-Pacific region, he said.
Taiwan’s strategic reserve of military supplies have insufficient depth, as stockpiles could run out after anywhere from six hours to 30 days of continuous combat without resupply, Magy said.
Firestorm’s technology is capable of boosting drone production, and furnishing badly-needed parts and components, he said, adding that US Marines have already used xCell to repair GPS devices.
GTOC general manager Chung Yu-hsin (鍾又新) said the three groups are in the process of integrating their capabilities to establish self-sufficient supply chains.
Two facilities that produce glass-based antenna technology are under construction in Miaoli County, he said.
Applying the technology on drone wings could significantly reduce drag, increasing airspeed and battlefield survivability, he said.
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