The domestically designed Teng Yun 2 drone passed development milestones over the weekend, flying for more than 10 hours straight and circling Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), in the longest flight of an indigenous uncrewed combat aerial vehicle.
Developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, the Teng Yun 2, or “Cloud Rider” (騰雲二型), recorded its longest flight yet over the weekend, after a three-hour test flight last month, followed by five and seven-hour stretches in the air.
The Teng Yun 2 No. 1812 departed from Chiashan Air Base in Hualien County at 6:46pm on Saturday and flew on a counter-clockwise route along the edge of the ADIZ, circling Taiwan proper, the institute said.
Screen grab from Flightradar24.com
At 5:02am the following morning, the drone landed safely at the base, after a flight time of 10 hours and 16 minutes, it said.
The Teng Yun 2 was designed to complement the military’s four US-made strategic drones, and has capabilities including day and night aerial image surveillance and reconnaissance, electronic parameter reconnaissance, electronic interference, meteorological observation and signal relay, it said.
The institute would complete testing of the drone by the end of the year, a source said yesterday, adding that it would start mass production if tests go smoothly.
Photo: Yu Tai-lang, Taipei Times
Defence International Magazine editor Chen Kuo-ming (陳國銘) praised the test results, but expressed concerns over lengthy procurement times for the drone’s engine, which is manufactured by the US.
Chen said that the military should seek backup suppliers in the EU to prevent a potential production bottleneck.
The issue might have been discussed at the Monterey Talks, which focused on Taiwan’s asymmetric combat capabilities, he said.
Meanwhile, Taiwan is expected to accept delivery of US-made MQ-9 Reaper drones later this year that the US in 2020 agreed to sell.
Lee Shih-chiang (李世強), head of the Ministry of National Defense’s Department of Strategic Planning, said during a question-and-answer session at the legislature in March last year that the Reaper would fit well with the military’s needs.
The Reaper is a high-altitude drone, whereas the Teng Yun 2 is a low to medium-altitude drone, he said.
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
IMPORTANT BACKER: China seeks to expel US influence from the Indo-Pacific region and supplant Washington as the global leader, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said China is preparing for war to seize Taiwan, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said in Washington on Friday, warning that Taiwan’s fall would trigger a regional “domino effect” endangering US security. In a speech titled “Maintaining the Peaceful and Stable Status Quo Across the Taiwan Strait is in Line with the Shared Interests of Taiwan and the United States,” Chiu said Taiwan’s strategic importance is “closely tied” to US interests. Geopolitically, Taiwan sits in a “core position” in the first island chain — an arc stretching from Japan, through Taiwan and the Philippines, to Borneo, which is shared by
RSS