2012/7/13
Taiwan’s Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) has reaped a harvest at the 2012 Farnborough International Airshow. AIDC and Meggitt Defense Systems signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on July 12th, between AIDC’s President Mr. Butch Hsu and Meggitt’s CEO Mr. Rob Davies, respectively.
Meggitt Defense Systems is an internationally renowned defense company in the United Kingdom and produces 500 Banshee target drones per year for extensive uses in military exercises in 49 countries around the world. Under this agreement, AIDC will make a pilot Banshee composite airframe for Meggitt’s test and approval. Once approved, AIDC will become a formal supplier to Meggitt and provide an annual quantity of 250 shipsets of Banshee airframe totaling 2500 shipsets. Mr. Davies indicated that Meggitt does not rule out the possibility of either increasing the order or transferring the entire order to AIDC if the cooperation goes successful.
Since the manufacturing technology of target drones is subject to export control of the UK government, this agreement carries the significance of the very first UK defense product to be made in Taiwan. This hard earned achievement will give AIDC the opportunity to prove its manufacturing capability and also to transform itself from being a buyer to a supplier of this product.
As a successful and competitive state-owned corporation as well as the leading aerospace company in Taiwan, AIDC has a born responsibility of leading the development of the domestic aviation industry and fostering its local supply chain partners. By attaining Meggitt certification, AIDC will transfer manufacture related technologies to its domestic supply chain partners to support and facilitate the growth and strengths of Taiwan’s aerospace composites industry, and in tandem, AIDC shall continue to pursue advanced technologies to upgrade the capability and enhance the value of Taiwan’s aerospace industry.
