Taiwan’s top military research body yesterday unveiled nine domestically developed drones in Taichung, including a loitering munition, or “suicide drone,” similar to the US-made AeroVironment Switchblade 300.
The surveillance and attack drones shown to the media by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology included the Albatross medium-range uncrewed aerial vehicle Nos. 1 and 2, and the Teng Yun 2 and Cardinal 2 and 3 indigenous uncrewed combat aerial vehicles.
The institute also unveiled a domestically made drone inspired by the AeroVironment Switchblade 300, which Ukrainian forces have employed in the country’s war with Russia.
Photo: CNA
Aeronautical Systems Research Division head Chi Li-pin (齊立平) told reporters that the miniature loitering munition has a range of 10km, can fly for 15 minutes and can fit inside a rucksack.
The device, which has a high-performance electro-optical and infrared sensor, can be carried by a single soldier and can destroy high-value, high-risk vehicles as well as target personnel, Chi said.
“It is like a large grenade capable of flying,” Chi said.
Photo: Chiang Ying-ying, AP
The “suicide” drone would be well suited for attacking coastal and near-shore enemy targets, he said, adding that it was compatible with Taiwan’s military needs with regards to conducting asymmetrical warfare against a much stronger rival.
Institute president Art Chang (張忠誠) said that the war in Ukraine had focused attention on drones and his institution has teamed up with Taiwanese companies to build a “national team” to develop military drones.
The military has announced a partnership with companies aimed at producing 3,000 drones next year.
Photo: Chiang Ying-ying, AP
Separately yesterday, Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) said that the military would adjust its deployments in Kinmen County amid security concerns after a missing soldier was later confirmed alive in China.
Chiu made the comment on the sidelines of a legislative session while discussing the case of a private first class surnamed Chen (陳), who was confirmed by the government to be safe in China’s Xiamen after disappearing on Thursday last week.
Chen was reported missing from Erdan (二膽), a small islet in Kinmen less than 5km from Xiamen.
Asked if the military was worried that Chen’s presence in China could pose a security risk, Chiu said that the private’s access to confidential information was irrelevant because the military was going to take precautions one way or the other.
“We will make adjustments [concerning troop deployments] as we conduct a regular review of our deployments,” he said.
Despite widespread speculation over what happened and why Chen would leave Erdan, including that he might have fled to escape debts, no clear explanation of the case has been provided.
Asked why Chen left his post, Chiu had little to offer yesterday other than saying an investigation had not found that the soldier had disputes with superior officers before going missing.
Responding to a Reuters report the day before about a sharp increase in British exports of submarine parts to Taiwan, Chiu declined to comment directly, saying that the domestic submarine program faces many difficulties, but is going according to plan.
Additional reporting by Reuters
A signaling system malfunction disrupted high-speed rail (HSR) services beginning at 8am today, with trains temporarily reduced to three northbound and three southbound trains per hour as authorities conduct inspections. The malfunction occurred on a section of track in Miaoli County during pre-operation checks early this morning, forcing northbound and southbound trains to use a single track, the HSR operator said. The regular schedule has been replaced with three hourly trains offering only nonreserved seating in each direction, stopping at every station, it said, adding that business class cars would still have reserved seating. Departures from terminal stations are scheduled at the top
DRONE CENTRAL: Taiwan aims to become Asia’s democratic hub for drones, with most exports focused on high-quality military-grade models, an official said Taiwan’s drone industry is expected to expand significantly by 2030, producing 100,000 units per month and exporting half of them, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Current drone production capacity is about 15,000 units per month, but the industry can quickly scale up as demand increases, Industrial Development Administration Director-General Chiou Chyou-huey (邱求慧) told a news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s drone output grew 2.5-fold last year to NT$12.9 billion (US$408.3 million) under a government program to develop the uncrewed vehicle sector, he said. The Executive Yuan in October last year approved plans to invest NT$44.2 billion into domestic production of uncrewed aerial
VERBOSE VESSELS: A CGA cutter and a China Coast Guard exchanged verbal barbs for more than a day in Taiwanese-controlled waters before the Chinese vessel left The Taiwanese and Chinese coast guards had a standoff near the strategically located Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the north of the South China Sea, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The two sides engaged in intense radio exchanges over sovereignty claims during the 33-hour standoff. China Coast Guard vessel 3501 eventually left the restricted waters, 26.6 nautical miles (49.2km) west of the Pratas Islands, at 5pm yesterday, the CGA said. Lying approximately between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Taiwan-controlled Pratas are seen by some security experts as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their distance — more than
WARNING: China should stop engaging in actions that undermine regional peace and stability, as it would only build resentment among people across the Strait, the CGA said China has deployed more than 100 navy, coast guard and other vessels in waters from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea and the western Pacific since US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met in Beijing, National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said yesterday. “In this part of the world, #China is the one & only PROBLEM wrecking the #StatusQuo & threatening regional peace & stability,” Wu wrote on X. In a separate post, he said Beijing was coercing Taiwan’s maritime domain, calling it illegal and provocative, after the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) expelled a
RSS