Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and NEC announced plans to strengthen cooperation in the defense sector. Centered on defense drones, the companies aim to develop a domestically produced command-and-control system using AI.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Nippon Electric (NEC) announced that they had signed a memorandum of understanding toward a strategic partnership in the defense sector. The companies said they plan to cooperate mainly on defense drones, as well as on AI-enabled command-and-control systems and operational planning.
The companies have previously collaborated on defense equipment, including escort vessels and fighter aircraft, and confirmed that they will also strengthen cooperation in the development and operation of defense drones. In response to the growing use of unmanned systems and AI spurred by the war in Ukraine, they will promote the use of domestically developed technologies in Japan.
With demand for the domestic production and field deployment of defense drones expected to grow, the government plans to review its defense buildup. It aims to bring together the technological capabilities of domestic companies to build highly reliable systems.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries President Ito Eisaku (伊藤栄作) and NEC President Morita Takayuki (森田隆之) each issued comments describing the realization of defense systems that bring together Japan's technology and expertise as an important step.