Japan-based Terra Drone Corp is continuing its global expansion with investment in KazUAV, a UAV company in Kazakhstan.

With this investment, KazUAV joins Terra Drone's network of over 25 group companies and technology partners that provide drone services across the globe.

Established in 2016, KazUAV is a known name in Kazakhstan's drone ecosystem, having provided GIS services to several government agencies and private companies. In 2018, at the request of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), KazUAV mapped six airports in the country, totalling a surveyed area of 4 million hectares. The drone company is also registered to provide surveillance drone services to the Kazakhstani special forces.

As part of Terra Drone group, KazUAV will leverage its technologies to provide myriad drone-based services and solutions in Kazakhstan, including open-pit and underground mapping services for the mining sector. The company will also sell drones, sensors and other related hardware to local customers.

Toru Tokushige, CEO of Terra Drone Corp, commented: "With 3% of the world's total oil reserves in Kazakhstan, the production of oil and gas in the country is witnessing a year-on-year increase. As a leading provider of drone-based solutions for the oil and gas industry, the time is ripe for Terra Drone to gain a footing in Central Asia with this investment."

Garkushin Eugeniy, CEO of KazUAV, said: "The goal to become the top drone company in the world is incredibly complex and ambitious. We are very pleased that having assessed our results and potential, Terra Drone chose KazUAV as its partner in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Thanks to this step, all advanced foreign technologies will be available to our customers in surveying, power generation, construction, oil and gas, and other areas. Kazakhstan will now become part of the global unmanned aircraft community as one of the youngest but largest markets."