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.
Photo: CNA
The Executive Yuan in October last year approved plans to invest NT$44.2 billion into domestic production of uncrewed aerial vehicles over the next six years, aiming to bring Taiwan’s output value to more than NT$40 billion by 2030 and to make the nation Asia’s democratic hub for the drone supply chain.
If output value doubles to NT$26 billion this year, the 2030 target could be adjusted upward, Chiou said.
The local drone industry is still mainly driven by domestic demand, with commercially produced military-grade products accounting for the bulk of output, he said.
Exports account for slightly more than 20 percent, led by the Czech Republic, Poland and the US, he added.
In the first four months of this year, drone exports reached US$147 million, he said.
At a Cabinet news conference on April 30, Chiou said that Taiwan’s drone exports totaled US$93 million last year.
By 2030, production capacity is projected to exceed 100,000 units per month, while exports are projected to exceed 50 percent of total output, he said yesterday.
Compared with China, Chinese consumer-grade drones have a significant price advantage due to large-scale production, Chiou said.
However, for military-grade commercial drones, for which anti-jamming and autonomous flight capabilities, as well as reliability, are more important, the price gap is narrower, and Taiwan remains competitive, he said.
Speaking about the XPONENTIAL 2026 uncrewed systems exhibition that ended last week in Detroit, Chiou said it featured finished products and key components from Taiwanese drone companies and drew attention from firms in the US, Japan, South Korea and Turkey for potential cooperation.
Preliminary business opportunities generated by the exhibition, which is the premier event for the drone industry, are estimated at about NT$1.3 billion across optical modules, systems and thermal imaging, he said.
During the exhibition, Taiwan signed memorandums of understanding with the Michigan Drone Association and the North Dakota Trade Office that focus on autonomous flight, urban air mobility and shared test facilities, with the aim of helping Taiwanese firms access more complete testing and certification resources, he added.
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