The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology yesterday said it is working with the private sector to develop uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) for military use with the aim of building a drone fleet next year.
Chi Li-pin (齊立平), head of the institute’s Aeronautical Systems Research Division, said the goal is to build prototypes of five kinds of commercial drones customized for military purposes: carrier-launched drones, land-based surveillance drones, other surveillance drones, miniature drones and drones with target-acquisition capabilities.
The reason for using commercial platforms is to have them available for basic non-combat surveillance more quickly, Chi said.
Photo courtesy of the Military News Agency
Developing military-grade UAVs is a lengthy process that can take four to five years due to the military’s requirements, but commercial-grade drones can pass tests and be ready for military surveillance missions in about a year, he said.
The prototypes are expected to be delivered to the institute by July 31, as scheduled, he added.
The institute would be responsible for testing the drones and helping private manufacturers navigate the process, Chi said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense
Mass production could begin as soon as next year, once the drones pass the required tests, he said.
To ensure national security, the institute has required the partner companies to prove that they are not funded by firms based in China and that they do not have shares in China-based enterprises, Chi said.
They also pledged not to use products or components manufactured in China or by Chinese firms, he said.
Separately, a senior official familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity that the institute is ramping up efforts to produce missiles with the goal of reaching maximum production volume no later than the end of next year.
This year’s production target of 1,000 missiles of all types represents a substantial increase over the 800 missiles produced last year, they said, adding that the institute’s 16 missile assembly lines are fully operational.
The missile assembly lines used to be semi-manual, which was a significant constraint on mass production, but the situation has improved following the opening of new factories, they added.
Additional reporting by Lo Tien-pin
MAKING WAVES: China’s maritime militia could become a nontraditional threat in war, clogging up shipping lanes to prevent US or Japanese intervention, a report said About 1,900 Chinese ships flying flags of convenience and fishing vessels that participated in China’s military exercises around Taiwan last month and in January have been listed for monitoring, Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said yesterday. Following amendments to the Commercial Port Act (商港法) and the Law of Ships (船舶法) last month, the CGA can designate possible berthing areas or deny ports of call for vessels suspected of loitering around areas where undersea cables can be accessed, Oceans Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said. The list of suspected ships, originally 300, had risen to about 1,900 as
Japan’s strategic alliance with the US would collapse if Tokyo were to turn away from a conflict in Taiwan, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday, but distanced herself from previous comments that suggested a possible military response in such an event. Takaichi expressed her latest views on a nationally broadcast TV program late on Monday, where an opposition party leader criticized her for igniting tensions with China with the earlier remarks. Ties between Japan and China have sunk to the worst level in years after Takaichi said in November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could bring about a Japanese
Right-wing political scientist Laura Fernandez on Sunday won Costa Rica’s presidential election by a landslide, after promising to crack down on rising violence linked to the cocaine trade. Fernandez’s nearest rival, economist Alvaro Ramos, conceded defeat as results showed the ruling party far exceeding the threshold of 40 percent needed to avoid a runoff. With 94 percent of polling stations counted, the political heir of outgoing Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves had captured 48.3 percent of the vote compared with Ramos’ 33.4 percent, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal said. As soon as the first results were announced, members of Fernandez’s Sovereign People’s Party
MORE RESPONSIBILITY: Draftees would be expected to fight alongside professional soldiers, likely requiring the transformation of some training brigades into combat units The armed forces are to start incorporating new conscripts into combined arms brigades this year to enhance combat readiness, the Executive Yuan’s latest policy report said. The new policy would affect Taiwanese men entering the military for their compulsory service, which was extended to one year under reforms by then-president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in 2022. The conscripts would be trained to operate machine guns, uncrewed aerial vehicles, anti-tank guided missile launchers and Stinger air defense systems, the report said, adding that the basic training would be lengthened to eight weeks. After basic training, conscripts would be sorted into infantry battalions that would take
RSS