Portuguese defense drone startup Tekever is set to establish a production base in Japan, marking a significant step in its expansion into the Asian market.
According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) on June 24, Tekever plans to announce the location of its production facility in Japan within the next few months. Marubeni, a major Japanese trading company, will assist Tekever in developing customers and supporting sales in Japan. This is reportedly the first instance of a foreign defense company setting up a manufacturing base in Japan.
The drones produced by Tekever are designed for battlefield intelligence gathering, surveillance, and reconnaissance, and are reported to have no offensive capabilities. They can fly over 2,000 kilometers on a single charge. The drones are expected to be utilized not only for defense equipment but also for maritime security and infrastructure monitoring.
One of Tekever's strengths is its extensive real-world flight data accumulated from operations in Ukraine, where it has gathered over 10,000 hours of flight data. This experience has enhanced its jamming resistance capabilities, allowing the drones to continue flying even in environments where GPS or radio communications are disrupted.
Ricardo Mendes, CEO of Tekever, told Nikkei, "We will integrate Japanese robotics technology, such as sensors, into our manufacturing process," adding that the company is also considering producing drones using only Japanese components in the future.
Tekever aims to use Japan as a hub for exports to Asia. Following the Japanese government's revision of its three principles on defense equipment transfers in April, which eased export regulations, it is expected that various drones produced in Japan will be eligible for export with government approval.
Since the onset of the war in Ukraine, the use of low-cost, mass-deployed unmanned drones has become a prevalent tactic, highlighting the growing importance of drone production systems worldwide. However, Japan currently lacks a facility capable of mass-producing drones.
The Japanese government plans to revise three security-related documents by the end of this year to include measures for establishing a domestic production base for large-scale drone procurement. Japanese companies are also beginning to invest in this area. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is advancing the development of defense drones, while Teradron has announced plans to acquire two Ukrainian companies that handle intercept drones.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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