AeroVironment and Taiwan’s Thunder Tiger have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore mounting Switchblade loitering munitions on unmanned boats and ground vehicles, alongside potential joint drone production in Taiwan.
A specific proposal involves fitting a Thunder Tiger unmanned surface vessel with a launcher carrying multiple Switchblade rounds.
The companies will assess whether the systems can work together and consider future demonstrations.
Switchblade loitering munitions are launched aircraft that can search for a target before striking it and destroy themselves in the attack.
According to AeroVironment, integrating them with unmanned platforms would provide additional launch options on land and at sea.
The agreement, signed at the Association of the US Army’s annual exhibition in Washington, also covers exploring joint drone production and technology development in Taiwan.
Domestic Drone Supply Chain
The agreement comes as Taipei expands drone production and works to ensure that systems’ components are not sourced from China.
Last month, President Lai Ching-te inaugurated the Minxiong aerospace and drone campus at the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, Taiwan’s state-run weapons developer.
Designed to accommodate 100 companies, the campus brings together facilities for drone design, airframe assembly, and testing.
Digital replicas of aircraft, known as digital twins, allow engineers to assess designs before flight trials.
An adjacent industrial park will connect manufacturers, government agencies, and universities, providing shared computing resources and engineering tools to support local development and production.
