Key facts
- Uforce plans a Japanese subsidiary as early as the winter and a manufacturing base as early as the start of 2027, Plankey said.
- The planned Japan facility would produce aerial drones and unmanned surface vessels, with the factory location still to be decided.
- Uforce intends to offer its systems to the Japan Self-Defense Forces and US Forces Japan, and is considering exports to neighboring countries.
- The AerosoarX memorandum sets a cooperation framework, not a supply contract; no value, volumes or timetable for parts orders were given.
- AerosoarX will draw on Taiwan's semiconductor, electronic component, communications and precision manufacturing industries to assess replacement suppliers.
Uforce, a Ukraine-rooted drone maker that became a $1 billion defense startup during Ukraine's campaign to stop Russia's invasion, aims to increase cooperation in Taiwan as well as Japan, its US CEO Sean Plankey said, according to Nikkei Asia in a report published November 12, 2026.
Plankey spoke at a maritime drone forum organized by Taiwanese think tank DSET in the southern city of Tainan in early November. Separately, Uforce has adopted a policy to establish a drone manufacturing base in Japan, aiming to open the facility as early as the beginning of 2027, according to DroneNews.org. The startup plans to launch a Japanese subsidiary as early as the winter. Under initial plans the facility will produce aerial drones and unmanned surface vessels, while the factory location and other details will be considered going forward. Uforce intends to offer its systems to the Japan Self-Defense Forces and US Forces Japan, while also considering exports to neighboring countries, the report said, citing Plankey.
In Taiwan, AerosoarX signed a memorandum of understanding with Uforce in Tainan on Wednesday, November 4, to help the Ukrainian company find alternative sources of parts for uncrewed vehicles, according to SETN and Next Apple News as reported by Taiwan Defence. Under the agreement, AerosoarX will draw on Taiwan's semiconductor, electronic component, communications and precision manufacturing industries to locate and assess replacement suppliers, with the aim of making Uforce's supply chain more flexible. Both reports said the deal responds to the difficulty drone makers face in obtaining key components, the concentration of supply in a few sources, and uncertain delivery times.