Geosat announces the recent successful navy testing of its prototype commercial-grade land-based reconnaissance drone. Responding to the specific requirements made by the Navy, Geosat has utilized domestically manufactured engines, enabling the drone to maintain flight for over 6 hours, a significant advancement beyond the one-hour capabilities of most domestic drones. Additionally, it excels in long-range communication, control, and image transmission with a range exceeding 100 kilometers. Among the five commercial-grade military drones currently in circulation, this model is regarded as the most demanding.
In the backdrop of heightened geopolitical tensions in recent years, nations across the globe have accelerated their defense industry development. Taiwan, in its pursuit of self-sufficiency and an asymmetric military edge, has allocated budgets for the acquisition of a total of 1,779 commercial-grade military drones across its army, navy, and air force. The Army is slated to procure 392 drones between 2024 and 2025, the Navy will obtain 1,072 between 2024 and 2028, and the Air Force plans to acquire 315 in 2024.
Following the earlier success in army testing and after an intensive half-year period of research and supply chain integration, Geosat is delighted to announce the successful navy testing of another prototype land-based reconnaissance drone. The budget associated with this development is estimated at NT$2.4 billion. Geosat has emphasized the prohibition of using China-made components and products in this drone's procurement, along with items from related supply chains. This underscores the potential advantages of cultivating a domestic defense industry supply chain, which would significantly bolster naval capabilities and enhance national security.
Max Lo, Chairman of Geosat, emphasizes that through the development process of these two military projects, Taiwan has met international standards for technical specifications. Collaboration with defense industry firms from NATO countries ensures that future products introduced into military service will possess high "equipment interoperability," a crucial aspect for Taiwan's defense and its international alliances.
At present, Geosat has delivered two drones to the Ministry of National Defense, including the Navy's reconnaissance version and the army's micro drone. In addition to contributing to the growth of domestic self-reliance and the reinforcement of a resilient supply chain, Geosat has dedicated efforts to align with national cybersecurity regulations to meet the requirement of eliminating components from China's "red supply chain." Simultaneously, to thwart potential adversarial hijacking attempts, research and development have adhered to national cybersecurity standards, leading to compressed development timelines and heightened technical challenges. Both drones delivered in this project have successfully obtained the cyber security certification from the Ministry of Digital Affairs within the stipulated timeframe.
