Terra Drone moves to build Japan’s interceptor drone capacity
Terra Drone is moving to produce interceptor drones and key components in Japan, citing supply risks and regional security tensions.
- Tokyo-based Terra Drone is establishing a domestic production framework to build tens of thousands of interceptor drones annually in Japan.
- The initiative aims to reduce Japan's reliance on overseas-made drones and components, ensuring a stable supply chain during national emergencies.
- To accelerate its entry into the defense market, Terra Drone has acquired two Ukrainian companies that specialize in developing interceptor drones.
- The move is driven by the changing nature of modern warfare, as seen in global conflicts, and rising security tensions in the region surrounding Japan.
Tokyo-based Terra Drone Corp. is preparing to build a domestic production framework capable of making up to tens of thousands of interceptor drones a year, as the company seeks to reduce Japan’s reliance on overseas-made drones and components.
Toru Tokushige, head of Terra Drone, said in a recent interview that the company wanted to accelerate the creation of supply chains for defence drones by developing and manufacturing key parts in Japan.
The plan follows Terra Drone’s announcement in March that it would make a full-scale entry into the defence drone market while continuing its civilian drone business.
As part of that shift, it has acquired two Ukrainian companies specialising in the development of interceptor drones.
Tokushige pointed to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East, where low-cost drones have been used to shoot down expensive missiles and attack important enemy bases, as evidence that unmanned systems are changing modern warfare.
“The significance of drones was quickly understood around the world,” he said.
The company’s defence focus also comes amid changes in the security environment surrounding Japan, including rising tensions over Taiwan.
“We must now start to vigorously promote the domestic production of defence drones,” Tokushige said.
He noted that drones currently used in Japan, along with their components, are manufactured overseas, leaving questions over whether supplies can be maintained during emergencies.
Until now, he suggested, Japan had not fully considered supply continuity if a contingency occurred.
Tokushige also stressed that production planning should reflect the possibility of conflict, including the need to use factories and sites that are less vulnerable to attack.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
