EXCLUSIVE: Japan Firm to Mass-Produce Defense Drones Domestically

Tokyo, July 8 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Terra Drone Corp. plans to set up a system enabling domestic production of up to tens of thousands of interceptor drones a year, the company’s head, Toru Tokushige, has said in an recent interview. As well as domestic development for such defense drones, the Tokyo-based company aims to speed up work to establish supply chains that do not rely on imports by promoting the development and production of drone components at home. In March, Terra Drone announced its full-scale entry into the defense drone market, in addition to civilian-use drones. As part of the move, the company has acquired two Ukrainian firms that develop interceptor drones. In Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Middle East conflict, cheap drones are said to have changed the concept of war by shooting down expensive missiles and attacking important enemy bases. “The significance of drones was quickly understood around the world,” Tokushige said. “We must now start to vigorously promote the domestic production of defense drones,” he said, citing changes in the security environment surrounding Japan, such as rising tensions over Taiwan. As both drones currently in use in Japan and their parts are manufactured overseas, Tokushige noted that “supply continuity in the event of contingencies” has not been considered up until now. Tokushige also underscored the importance of setting up a drone production system with the awareness of potential war, such as utilizing facilities and locations that are less susceptible to attack. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]