Cardinal is a family of small unmanned aerial vehicles made by the

National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST; ) is a Taiwanese state owned corporation, formerly part of the Ministry of National Defense's Armaments Bureau, which is active in the development, manufacturing, support, and ...

(NCSIST).

Variants

Cardinal I

The Cardinal I was the initial prototype of the Cardinal.

Cardinal II

The Cardinal II began development in 2009 and is based on the Cardinal I but has a better payload design, digital data link, and automatic tracking antenna system. It was exhibited at the 2015

Paris Air Show The Paris Air Show (, ''Salon du Bourget'') is a trade fair and air show held in odd years at Paris–Le Bourget Airport in France. Organized by the French aerospace industry's primary representative body, the ''Groupement des industries frança ...

. In service with

Republic of China Marine Corps , image = File:Republic of China Marine Corp (ROCMC) Logo.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Emblem of the Republic of China Marine Corps with the map of ROC claimed lands of m ...

and

Republic of China Army The Republic of China Army ( Chinese, 中華民國陸軍) also known as the ROC Army (ROCA); colloquially the Taiwanese Army ( Chinese, 台湾陆军) by western or mainland Chinese media, or commonly referred as the National Military Army ( Chi ...

. Other than military missions the Cardinal II can be used for civil

remote sensing Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an physical object, object or phenomenon without making physical contact with the object, in contrast to in situ or on-site observation. The term is applied especially to acquiring inform ...

and

disaster relief Emergency management (also Disaster management) is a science and a system charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Emergency management, despite its name, does not actu ...

missions. The Taiwanese Navy procured 54 aircraft in 2016. The components of a Cardinal II system are the aircraft, an antenna, and a ground control box. The Cardinal II is hand launched and recovered by parachute. The aircraft is equipped with an autopilot and can transmit data and imagery in real time. The remote control flight range is 8km. In service a Taiwanese Cardinal II unit has six primary aircraft and three backups.

Cardinal III

Cardinal III features vertical takeoff and landing capabilities. It is reportedly optimized for coastal surveillance. It is intended for operation by the Marine Corps. It was displayed at the

Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition The Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition (TADTE; ) is a biennial defense exhibition held in Taiwan. TADTE is organized by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA). It is held biennially. Repeat exhibitors include both ...

in 2023.

Fire Cardinal

In 2019 NCSIST exhibited the Fire Cardinal for the first time at the

. It was referred to by NCSIST as an "air-to-ground assault" UAV, what is more commonly known as a

loitering munition A loitering munition, also known as a suicide drone, kamikaze drone, or exploding drone, is a weapon with a warhead that is typically designed to Loiter (aeronautics), loiter until a target is designated, then crash into it.NCSIST Chien Hsiang *

AeroVironment RQ-20 Puma The AeroVironment RQ-20 Puma is an American unmanned aircraft system which is small, battery powered, and hand-launched. Its primary mission is surveillance and intelligence gathering using an electro-optical sensor, electro-optical and infrared ...

Defense industry of Taiwan The defense industry of Taiwan is a strategically important sector and a significant employer. They primarily supply weapons and platforms to the Republic of China Armed Forces with few major weapons systems exported abroad. Taiwanese defense ...

References

{{National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) aircraft Military equipment of the Republic of China Unmanned aerial vehicles of Taiwan 2010s Taiwanese military reconnaissance aircraft NCSIST aircraft Unmanned military aircraft