Netherlands-based companies DeltaQuad and Metis Technology Group have signed a letter of intent to expand the domestic electronics supply chain in support of tactical unmanned aerial systems (UAS) production.
The arrangement will see Metis segments Variass and Applied Micro Electronics handle printed circuit board assemblies, module integration, and engineering design for DeltaQuad’s existing drone platforms.
DeltaQuad’s flagship product is the DeltaQuad Evo, a 75-centimeter (29-inch) fixed-wing electric aircraft featuring a 269-centimeter (106-inch) wingspan, a payload capacity of up to 3 kilograms (7 pounds), and components made of carbon fiber, Kevlar, and fiberglass composites.
The vertical takeoff and landing aircraft has a range of 270 kilometers (186 miles), a service ceiling of up to 5,500 meters (18,045 feet), and a speed of 60 kilometers (37 miles) per hour.
Throughout the collaboration, DeltaQuad will retain full UAS design authority and product ownership while scaling up overall production capacity across Europe.
“With Metis Group, we are exploring how proven Dutch electronics manufacturing and engineering capacity can strengthen the supply chain behind our product family,” DeltaQuad CEO Sander Smeets stated.
Metis Group CEO Reinier Beltman also commented on the milestone, highlighting that the collaboration draws on decades of high-tech manufacturing experience in the defense sector “at a time when scalable production capacity is increasingly important.”
The Dutch firms plan to finalize technical requirements and implementation steps in a formal Definitive Cooperation Agreement in the coming phase.