RV Connex Drives Thailand's Defence Self-Reliance at THAIDEF-EX 2026 Thailand's First National Defence Industry Exhibition

Nonthaburi, 10 July 2026 — R V Connex Co., Ltd. proudly participated in the Thailand Defence Industry Exhibition 2026 (THAIDEF-EX 2026), held from 8–10 July 2026 at the Office of the Permanent Secretary for Defence (Si Saman), Nonthaburi, under the theme "Power of Self Reliance." The exhibition was inaugurated by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, with the attendance of senior government officials, military commanders, and defence industry stakeholders from across the country — marking a landmark moment for Thailand's national defence ecosystem.

Throughout the three-day exhibition, RV Connex showcased a comprehensive portfolio of indigenously developed defence technologies at Booth G01. The Pathum mini-UAS family was presented alongside the T-OR and TANN FPV tactical systems, engineered to operate as an integrated Hunter-Killer pair. T-OR identifies and laser-designates targets with precision; TANN delivers the decisive strike. Together they represent what end-to-end tactical UAS capability looks like when it is fully designed, developed, and built in Thailand.

Beyond the product display, RV Connex used the occasion to announce two strategic collaborations with fellow Thai defence companies. The first, with Narac Arms Industry Co., Ltd., integrates the TITUM M2-200 quad-rotor drone platform with Narac's 120mm and 105mm munitions — a system that has already undergone successful joint field testing in Ratchaburi Province. The second, with Chaiseri Metal and Rubber Co., Ltd., combines RV Connex's Command and Control (C2) software with Chaiseri's tactical vehicle platform — delivering a fully mobile, field-deployable radar system for low-altitude air defence warning missions. Taken together, these two collaborations demonstrate that Thailand's defence industry can now deliver complete, battle-ready weapons and surveillance systems from within its own borders — without relying on foreign suppliers for the critical technology layer.

The most substantive contribution of RV Connex to the exhibition came on its final day, when Group Captain Kanputt Mungklasiri, Vice Executive Chairman, joined a panel discussion on "Experience and Approaches to Supporting Dual-Use Start-Up Companies." Speaking candidly from firsthand experience, he addressed one of the hardest realities in defence technology — the "Death Valley Curve" — the dangerous period when a company has built a real product, invested heavily, but has not yet generated enough revenue to sustain operations.

Group Captain Kanputt stated: "Every defence technology company in Thailand knows what the Death Valley Curve feels like — you've built something real, invested everything, but the procurement cycle is long and the market is small. What got RV Connex through wasn't luck. It was a real deployment with the Royal Thai Air Force that proved our systems in the field, our own Assembly Integration and Testing facility so we didn't have to wait for anyone, and technology partnerships built around knowledge transfer — not just product sales. That is the model Thailand's defence industry needs to scale."

He also addressed the real complexity of Dual-Use technology — a concept that sounds straightforward but in practice demands that a company simultaneously meet military-grade standards such as AS9100D and MIL-STANAG, while maintaining the speed-to-market that civilian customers require. RV Connex's answer has been to invest in internationally recognised certifications — ISO 9001, AS9100D, CMMI Level 3, and NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 — not as compliance exercises, but as strategic "passports" that open doors in both the defence and civilian markets simultaneously.

Group Captain Kanputt went further, offering concrete examples of how a single technology platform can create value across multiple contexts: UAS platforms deployed for military ISR missions that simultaneously serve disaster survey, infrastructure inspection, and medical supply delivery in remote areas; Anti-Drone systems protecting military bases and strategic assets that equally safeguard airports, industrial estates, and large public events from unauthorized drone intrusion; and cybersecurity platforms built to counter nation-state-level threats that are equally applicable to protecting private sector organisations across finance, energy, and healthcare.

"What we have learned is that Dual-Use is not simply about the product itself — it is about designing systems with built-in flexibility, and building certification processes that serve multiple contexts from the earliest stage of development. Get it right from the start, and you are not building a single product. You are building a platform that grows with the demands of both markets."

Ms. Nardwadee Watanakij, VP Innovation of RV Connex Co., Ltd., added: "This exhibition is more than a showcase — it is a starting point for deeper connection across Thailand's defence industry. At RV Connex, we believe that the strength of this industry will be built not by companies competing against each other, but by Thai companies building with each other. Because from the very first day we founded this company, our intention was clear — Thailand must have its own defence technology company, not merely be a buyer or user of foreign technology. THAIDEF-EX 2026 is proof that we have been on the right path."

RV Connex extends its gratitude to all participants, partners, and the organising committee for making THAIDEF-EX 2026 a success. The company remains committed to its role in advancing Thailand's path toward genuine and sustainable defence self-reliance — and looks forward to seeing the momentum of this exhibition translate into concrete government support, sustained procurement commitment, and a stronger domestic industry for years to come.