The Ministry of National Defense plans to use a proposed aerospace and uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) industry campus to produce military drones, a defense official said yesterday.
The campus in Chiayi County’s Minsyong Township (民雄) would receive nearly NT$6.9 billion (US$216.12 million) to build factories, hangars and UAV testing facilities, the ministry’s budget proposal submitted last month to the Legislative Yuan showed.
The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, the ministry’s research and development arm, is to oversee the project, it said.
Photo: Yu Tai-lang, Taipei Times
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the defense official said the information disclosed by the report suggested that the campus would serve as the production center for drones, the military value of which has rapidly increased in the past few years.
The Teng Yun 2 (騰雲二型, “Cloud Rider 2”) and the Albatross II (銳鳶二型), the nation’s domestically developed medium-altitude long-endurance military drones, have passed operational tests, the official said, adding that the Teng Yun 2 last month participated in a live-fire precision-guided munition exercise.
The Albatross II reportedly performed well in the drills, although the armed forces have yet to issue a contract for mass production of the drone, they said.
The Chien Hsiang (劍翔, “Rising Sword”), a loitering munitions drone that targets radar systems, is believed to be slated for mass production next year, and would be funded through the regular budgetary process rather than the Sea-Air Combat Power Improvement Plan, they said.
The navy has also proposed a budget for the Hung Chueh 3 (紅雀三型, “Cardinal 3”) project to address flaws with its predecessor, the Hung Chueh 2 (紅雀二型), such as a lack of target designation capabilities, training simulators and dedicated trainer drones, the official said.
The Executive Yuan approved the drone budgets one day after approving a high-profile warship and submarine budget, which shows the urgency and importance that it has placed on improving the capabilities of the military’s UAVs, they said.
In May, the Cabinet approved the Five Trusted Industry Sectors development plan targeting chips, artificial intelligence, defense, security and surveillance, and next-generation communications.
The plan’s defense component includes funds to boost the nation’s UAV design and production capabilities with an emphasis on establishing supply chains outside of China, it said at the time.
The Executive Yuan’s 2028 targets for the drone industry include increasing the sector’s value 10-fold to NT$30 billion and a surge production capability of 15,000 systems a month.
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