US Drone Makers Eye Opportunities at Singapore Air Show
REPORTER:
US drone manufacturers are out in full force at this year’s Singapore Air Show. Some are keeping a keen eye on China’s military grey zone tactics in the South China Sea and what opportunities that could bring.
Stayne Hoff (RED CAT):
It's open, what China's been doing
Japan's actually been experiencing it the longest, and obviously, Taiwan. So China has stated many times their intention to do something in 2027. And so 2026 is kind of the last chance for anybody who's going to buy something, to buy it.
REPORTER:
This comes amid a push by countries to scale up their drone capabilities, learning lessons from the Ukraine War, where drones have featured prominently on the battlefield.
Some companies here are even boasting about their real-world successes in Eastern Europe.
Brandon Tseng (SHIELD AI):
The V-BAT, we've been flying that in Russia-Ukraine conflict, where it is every single mission, GPS is jammed, communication is jammed, but we're still able to execute missions which are intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting missions. That is something that a lot of our Asia customers are looking for.
REPORTER:
And deals are happening. Shield AI announced it would supply Singapore with AI software for its drone fleet. Neros, another US firm, says it plans to expand manufacturing into Singapore, as well as South Korea, the Philippines, and Japan.
There’s a market here for Taiwan buyers too. President Lai Ching-te, as part of his stalled special defense budget, hopes to buy 200,000 new drones for combat and surveillance. Some of those could be made in Taiwan while others could come from big-name foreign suppliers here, like Anduril.
REPORTER:
Taiwan is not alone. This arms race is showing no sign of letting up, with many betting that drones will be a key part of battlefield tactics all over the world.
Ryan Wu and Lery Hiciano, for TaiwanPlus.
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