The military is compiling a final evaluation report on a second-generation Teng Yun (騰雲, “Cloud Rider”) drone after tests of the self-developed uncrewed aerial vehicle were completed last month, a military source said yesterday.
Faced with the military threat from China, the military has increased research and development of drone technology as military and commercial drones have played a critical role in enabling Ukraine to deter a full-scale Russian invasion.
Aside from the 1,779 commercial drones that were built for military use through partnerships between the military and the private sector, the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology has developed drones with military specifications, including small “cardinal” drones, medium-sized “albatross” drones, large Teng Yun drones and drones that carry loitering munitions.
Photo: Yu Tai-lang, Taipei Times
The Armaments Bureau has also developed multiaxial drones that can carry rifles and howitzers.
The first-generation Teng Yun drones did not meet the needs of the military and were not transferred to the air force, the source said.
However, the second-generation drones are equipped with a new engine, and the configuration and systems have been redesigned, the source said.
The first phase of evaluation of the second-generation Teng Yun drones was completed in mid-March 2022, and functions such as automatic takeoff and landing, as well staying in the air for nearly 24 hours, have been tested using satellite guidance and control, the source said.
Air force personnel received training to operate the drones from the institute in January and February last year, and entered combat evaluation in March of the same year, the source said.
As certain parts of the drones were identified as needing improvement during the air force combat evaluation, the software and hardware of the Teng Yun drones were updated and retested beginning in mid-March this year, the source said.
The combat evaluation was completed in the middle of last month, the source said, adding that the military is compiling the final evaluation report before entering the next phase of operations.
Although the model of the second-generation Teng Yun was unveiled at the 2019 Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition, public information from the institute shows that the drone’s subsystems and mounted equipment have all been developed and re-evaluated, including satellite guidance and control, electronic surveillance and synthetic aperture radar systems.
The drone also has a redundancy design for flight control and navigation, the institute said, adding that a backup mechanism would be activated if a flight fails.
Although the drone’s power system is the same as the MQ-9B drone purchased from the US military, the remaining components are mostly made in Taiwan, the institute said, adding that it would help lay the foundations for the development of domestically produced drones.
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