DEFENSE/MND tries to distance itself from drone controversy

Taipei, Aug. 16 (CNA) A Taiwan drone prototype allegedly embedded with a Chinese-manufactured chip did not have anything to do with Taiwan's bid to build a fleet of indigenous drones for military purposes, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Friday.

In a video posted by the MND on social media Thursday to show its progress in developing compact military drones with local and overseas manufacturers, a member of the military is seen working on a chip with a soldering iron.

The chip had a logo similar to that seen on flight controller stacks made by Chinese drone producer Diatone Innovations, sparking online discussion because Taiwan has tried to keep Chinese-made components out of military drones to prevent critical intelligence from being leaked to the Chinese government.

In a statement released on Friday, the MND said the drone shown in the footage was a "prototype," and that it was not related to the collaborative program to develop indigenous drones.

It did not comment on whether the chip stack seen in the prototype was in fact made in China, nor did it explain why the prototype, being used specifically for "proof of concept" purposes, was "not related" to the main program to develop drones in Taiwan.

The military has launched an initiative to develop compact combat drones and is testing out design concepts and developing technologies to make sure they fit the needs of the armed forces, the MND said.

Under a Ministry of Economic Affairs program to subsidize private drone makers to build military drones, companies could not use Chinese components to be eligible for the subsidies, the Chinese-language Liberty Times reported on Aug. 11.