Defense industry partnerships solidified by CSIST with six international corporations
Taiwan's Defense Industry Boosts Partnerships at Largest Aerospace Exhibition
Taiwan's defense industry is strengthening its international collaborations, as evidenced by the numerous partnerships announced at the 2025 Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition. The event, which features 400 exhibitors from 14 countries, marked its largest edition in history.
One of the significant collaborations involves Shield AI, Inc, an American company specialising in artificial intelligence (AI) for unmanned systems, partnering with Taiwan's fighter jet developer Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. (AIDC) to develop an advanced unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) ecosystem.
The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST) has also been active, signing contracts and memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with six international defense companies. CSIST is showcasing several of its latest systems at the exhibition, including the Chien-Feng IV jet-powered target drone, the Kuai-Chi uncrewed surface vessel, the Rui-Yuan II UAV, and the Tien Kung IV missile system.
CSIST is expanding its partnership with Anduril on low-cost loitering munitions and the Dive-LD underwater vehicle. In addition, CSIST is collaborating with Airshare to integrate the Interceptor UX rocket system with its counter-uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) technology to neutralize hostile drones.
MARTAC, another partner, will focus on uncrewed surface vessels with AI-enabled target recognition and coordinated operations. AeroVironment is to codevelop dual-use UAVs with CSIST. Northrop Grumman would assist in integrating missiles into the Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) framework.
President William Lai visited the exhibition and toured booths of local and foreign defense companies, including Lockheed Martin, which manufactures Taiwan's Air Force F-16 fighters. However, the US has not yet approved the sale of the M109A7 to Taiwan.
Champion Auto Co, a company long specialized in the sale and maintenance of construction machinery and heavy-duty vehicles, signed a MOU with BAE Systems to provide logistical support and maintenance for Taiwan's military equipment. The partnership covers a range of systems, including M109A7 self-propelled howitzers, M88A2 armored recovery vehicles, and AAV7 amphibious armed personnel carriers. BAE Systems is a multinational aerospace, defense, and security company headquartered in London. Andy Corea, vice president and general manager of BAE Systems' Combat Mission Systems business, expressed plans to expand the partnership with Champion Auto to continue supporting Taiwan's defense forces.
Integration tests for the Airshare collaboration are planned by year's end at Jioupeng in Pingtung County's Manjhou Township. The enhanced version of the Tien Kung III surface-to-air missile system was publicly displayed for the first time at the exhibition.
All projects aim to emphasize local production, technology transfer, and long-term collaboration to bolster Taiwan's indigenous defense capabilities. The collaboration on uncrewed underwater vehicles with AI involving CSIST is with various companies, but specific company names are not mentioned in the provided search results.
