The military would procure 1,320 domestically produced “Kuai Chi” attack uncrewed surface vessels (USV), which would be funded under a new special defense resilience budget, a source said yesterday.
The Kuai Chi was tested on Tuesday during the annual “Sea and Air Precision Ammunition Firing Exercise” at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County. The drone passed the test following a favorable review of its performance by personnel from the Ministry of National Defense, the army and the navy.
As the Kuai Chi has passed evaluations, it could be presented to the public at the Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition, which would take place from Sept. 18 to 20, the source said.
Photo: Tsai Tsung-hsien, Taipei Times
The next step would involve the ministry assigning the Naval Command Headquarters to oversee procurement and mass production of the Kuai Chi for domestic military use, they said, adding that 1,320 of the USVs would be built over five years.
The 1,320 units would be produced and sold to the military in three sets, and each set would be distributed to three divisions, they said.
The three divisions are: the navy’s Coastal Combat Command, which is to be established at the start of next year; the Marine Corps, the force structure of which would be adjusted for the new drone program; and the Army Special Operations Command.
In last week’s test, the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology — which developed the Kuai Chi — tested the new USV in a combat setting involving the integration of multiple uncrewed systems, namely the Kuai Chi itself, the Kuai Chi’s onboard, Ching Feng I (勁蜂1型); FPV suicide drones; and Albatross II (銳鳶二型) uncrewed aerial vehicles, which relayed guidance information to the Kuai Chi.
The live-fire exercise demonstrated how the drones could be used in a joint uncrewed sea-air strike deployment, the source said.
The exercise simulated a complex electronic warfare environment in which the drones were launched from the vessel to jam and suppress enemy close-in defenses. This was followed by drone strikes and the USV itself executing a high-impact explosive suicide attack against dynamic targets, they said, adding that the drone demonstrated precision strike capability and a new form of uncrewed warfare.
In related news, the Executive Yuan on Thursday approved next year’s central government budget, raising total defense spending to NT$949.5 billion (US$31.04 billion), or 3.35 percent of GDP.
While many US-sourced procurements and domestically developed arms programs would be funded under separate special budgets, some key procurements remain in the Ministry of National Defense’s regular fiscal 2026 budget, the sources said.
The regular budget would include funding for the Norwegian National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System; Taiwan’s next-generation frigate program, championed by President William Lai (賴清德); and NT$24.5 billion for the “Zhenhai Project” (震海計畫), which would see the construction of two 2,000-tonne frigates with anti-air and anti-submarine capabilities.
Lai on Friday visited the navy’s 168th fleet in Yilan County and reaffirmed his commitment to the program, saying that it could feature several upgrades, including an increased displacement of 6,500 tonnes.
Additional features would include an active phased-array radar, an advanced combat system, and the Huayang (華陽) vertical launch system, he said, adding that it would be the cornerstone of Taiwan’s future surface combatant fleet.
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
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
DEEP-STRIKE CAPABILITY: The scenario simulated a PLA drill that turned into an assault on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, with the launchers providing fire support Taiwan yesterday conducted this year’s first military exercises at Longsiang Base in Taichung, demonstrating the newly acquired High Mobility Artillery Rocket System’s (HIMARS) ability to provide fire support and deep-strike capabilities. The scenario simulated an attack on Penghu County, with HIMARS trucks immediately rolling into designated launch areas and firing barrages at the Wangan (望安) and Cimei (七美) islands, simulating the provision of fire support against invading forces. The HIMARS are supposed to “fire and leave,” which would significantly increase personnel and equipment survivability, a military official said. The drill simulated an exercise launched by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern
RSS