WASHINGTON, Aug. 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Edgesource Corporation, a U.S. national security solutions provider and Blue List Recognized Assessor, and Taiwan’s Metal Industries Research & Development Centre (MIRDC) today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) establishing a strategic partnership to assist Taiwan’s unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), aerospace, electronics, and advanced manufacturing industries in meeting U.S. defense supply-chain and security requirements.
Under the MOU, Edgesource and MIRDC will collaborate to assist qualified Taiwanese manufacturers seeking to validate UAS platforms, critical components, subcomponents, software, and associated supply chains for potential inclusion on the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) Blue List. The DCMA Blue List is an aggregated list of compliant unmanned systems and components approved for purchase and operation by the U.S. Department of War. Its underlying security requirements include restrictions established under Section 848 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, subsequent requirements including Section 817 of the FY2023 National Defense Authorization Act, and the American Security Drone Act of 2023, together with applicable Department of War cybersecurity and supply-chain security requirements.
The partnership creates a framework through which MIRDC’s manufacturing industry partners can better understand U.S. requirements, identify supply-chain risks, establish component provenance and traceability, assess hardware and software configurations, remediate potential compliance issues, and develop the technical evidence required to support Blue List assessment and consideration. The initiative reflects a shared commitment to ensuring that unmanned systems manufacturers have access to the education, guidance, and assessment resources necessary to meet U.S. Government and defense procurement requirements while expanding the pool of secure, resilient, and traceable components available to U.S. and allied UAS manufacturers.
As a Blue List Recognized Assessor, Edgesource provides independent technical assessments of UAS platforms and components, including evaluation of corporate and ownership information, hardware bills of material, software bills of material, firmware and software, component provenance, critical microelectronics, communications behavior, cybersecurity, and supply-chain compliance. Through the partnership, Edgesource will bring these assessment capabilities together with MIRDC’s extensive relationships across Taiwan’s metal, aerospace, electronics, precision manufacturing, and advanced technology sectors.
| “Taiwan possesses a sophisticated manufacturing base with significant capabilities in electronics, precision manufacturing, aerospace and advanced technologies. By combining those capabilities with a rigorous evidence-based Blue List assessment process, we have an opportunity to expand the trusted industrial base available to the United States and our partners, while helping Taiwanese companies understand exactly what is required to compete in the U.S. Defense market.” | |||
| — Joseph Urbaniak, Chief Strategy Officer, Edgesource Corporation | |||
The collaboration is expected to support Taiwanese manufacturers at multiple stages of Blue List readiness, from initial supply-chain mapping and gap analysis through technical assessment, remediation, evidence development, and submission of assessment findings for U.S. Government consideration.
| “Taiwan possesses comprehensive industrial strengths across ICT, semiconductors, precision machinery, metal processing, and system integration. The importance of today's cooperation goes far beyond the signing of an MOU. More importantly, it creates a clear and direct pathway for Taiwanese companies to better understand U.S. requirements, receive professional training, and enter the Blue UAS assessment process. Through this partnership, we look forward to working together to build a safer, more resilient, and trusted UAS supply chain, making Taiwan a reliable long-term partner for the United States and democratic allies worldwide.” | |||
| — Chia-Ju, Liu, Chairman of the Board, Metal Industries Research & Development Centre | |||
Championed by Chia-Ju Liu, Chairman of MIRDC, the MOU was signed by Joe Urbaniak, Partner and Chief Strategy Officer at Edgesource and Chih-Wei Chien, Director of MIRDC in Washington, D.C., with Johnson Chiang, Deputy Representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States, witnessing the signing. The event brought together representatives from across Taiwan’s defense, aerospace, UAS, electronics, and advanced manufacturing sectors, reflecting growing interest in expanding trusted industrial cooperation between Taiwan and the United States. The partnership comes as the United States expands its emphasis on rapidly fielding affordable, secure, and scalable unmanned systems while reducing dependence on prohibited or potentially vulnerable foreign sources of critical UAS technologies.
For Taiwanese manufacturers, alignment with Blue List requirements can provide an important mechanism for demonstrating to U.S. defense customers and UAS prime contractors that products and supply chains have undergone independent scrutiny against applicable U.S. security and sourcing requirements. For Edgesource, the agreement expands its reach and influence within the Indo-Pacific manufacturing base, reinforcing its role as a trusted advisor in the unmanned systems space.
The partnership will expand access to trusted sources of advanced components and manufacturing capacity within Taiwan while providing greater visibility into the provenance while supporting a more secure and interoperable unmanned systems ecosystem across allied and partner nations. By establishing clear standards and a shared assessment methodology, both organizations aim to reduce supply chain risk and enhance the operational readiness of UAS platforms procured by U.S. defense and government customers.
Additional details regarding the scope of collaboration under the MOU will be shared as the partnership develops. Both organizations are committed to transparency, technical excellence, and the responsible advancement of the unmanned systems industry.
About Edgesource Corporation
Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, Edgesource Corporation delivers mission-ready national security solutions to U.S. defense, intelligence, diplomatic, civilian, and commercial customers. With a staff of cleared, subject matter experts and professionals, Edgesource solves complex, mission-critical challenges with speed and reliability in both CONUS and OCONUS environments. The company provides capabilities spanning unmanned and counter-unmanned systems, Blue List assessments, artificial intelligence and machine learning, data engineering, cloud engineering, software, and other advanced national-security technologies. As a Blue List Recognized Assessor, Edgesource performs independent, lab-backed assessments of UAS platforms and components to support compliance with applicable National Defense Authorization Act, cybersecurity, supply-chain, and U.S. Government requirements.
For more information, visit Edgesource Corporation’s website, www.edgesource.com.
About Metal Industries Research & Development Centre
The Metal Industries Research & Development Centre (MIRDC) is a Taiwan-based nonprofit research and development organization supporting the advancement and competitiveness of Taiwan’s metal and related industries. MIRDC develops and promotes technologies and industrial capabilities across areas including advanced materials, precision manufacturing, aerospace, machinery, systems engineering, testing, validation, and emerging technologies. Through its work with government and industry, MIRDC supports technology development, industrial modernization, supply-chain integration, testing and validation, and the expansion of Taiwan’s advanced manufacturing capabilities. For more information, visit Metal Industries Research & Development Centre’s website, www.mirdc.org.tw.
Media Contact Joseph Urbaniak Chief Strategy Officer, Edgesource Corporation 703.837.0550 jurbaniak@edgesource.com
