US Drone Program Green UAS to Establish Certification Center in Taiwan

The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) will become the only certification point for the Green UAS program outside the United States this year. Chairman Wu Tsung-tsong stated that the key reasons are Taiwan's strong capabilities in chips and manufacturing, and its status as a member of a trusted democratic supply chain. With Green UAS certification, Taiwan can enter the US market and it will also help in future expansion into the European market. In an interview with CNA, Wu pointed out that six months ago, a division within ITRI expressed interest in participating in the US Green UAS program. He considered that it was not a matter for a single division, but required the full support of ITRI. With the institute's backing, ITRI became a Green UAS certification point in January this year. Wu analyzed that for drones and future uncrewed land, sea, and air vehicles, as well as robots and satellites, which all connect to networks, cybersecurity and democratic supply chains are two crucial points. Wu believes Taiwan is trustworthy and efficient in manufacturing, with strong chip technology, which were key factors for Taiwan to be chosen as the Green UAS certification point in Asia. He emphasized that Taiwan cannot just follow the old path of contract manufacturing but must co-develop markets with advanced countries from the very beginning to create new blue ocean markets. After becoming a certification point for commercial and civilian drone systems (Green UAS), Wu stated that whether it is Green UAS or the military and government drone system Blue UAS, cybersecurity and a non-red supply chain are the priorities. ITRI will assist the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) in evaluating funding sources and ensuring cybersecurity controls.