Local drone producers are seeking to upgrade uncrewed aerial vehicles in Taiwan’s arsenal to bolster the nation’s defenses.
JC Tech, based in Taipei’s Neihu Science Park (內湖科技園區), started developing drones in 2018 in cooperation with two other companies to help the coast guard build a fleet of single-rotor drones.
JC Tech president Robert Cheng (鄭志誠) said his company has built and tested prototypes of a suicide drone, named the Flyingfish, that was inspired by the US-made Switchblade drones used in Ukraine.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
JC Tech expects to sign the first contract for the drones with a Southeast Asian country next month and hopes to also work with Taiwan’s military.
The drone comes in three sizes, with the medium-sized Flyingfish 200 boasting a payload of 500g, roughly equivalent to 10 grenades, he said.
Made of a plastic-like material, the Flyingfish 200 is 1.15m long, but weighs only 2.2kg fully loaded, making it an ideal weapon for infantry to carry into battle, Cheng said.
It can target tanks, ships or personnel within a 10km range with the help of built-in GPS, artificial intelligence and a camera, he said.
Once it has identified its target, it swoops down and crashes into it, detonating its payload, he added.
Costing less than US$3,000, the Flyingfish 200 is much cheaper than cruise missiles or other combat drones, making it cost-effective to deploy in large numbers in urban or naval warfare, Cheng said.
“When the enemy approaches [Taiwan’s] coastal waters, the Flyingfish drones will prove to be a formidable weapon for asymmetric warfare, because they are so easy to use and can be deployed in great numbers,” he said.
Geosat Aerospace & Technology Inc, which began developing drones in 2008, has been collaborating with the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology on the Albatross II drone.
The Albatross II is an updated version of the first-generation Albatross being used by Taiwan’s military.
An Albatross drone filmed a standoff between Taiwan’s guided-missile destroyer Ma Kong and the Chinese frigate Ma’anshan during China’s live-fire military exercises around Taiwan early last month.
With drone technology advancing rapidly, Taiwan’s military felt the need to upgrade its Albatross drones, a task it entrusted to the institute, Geosat CEO Lo Cheng-fang (羅正方) said.
As drones could have a more prominent role in military standoffs between Taiwan and China, the nation should adopt a “porcupine” strategy by complementing its missile defense network with combat drones, Lo said.
The Albatross II would fit the bill, he added.
It has surveillance and combat functions, improved flight endurance, better communications and a bigger payload, Lo said.
It has a range of 250km, compared with its predecessor’s 150km, he said.
The Albatross II has a longer communication range and can transmit data via microwave transmission or satellites, which would be useful if China were to blockade Taiwan, because it could transmit real-time data on enemy movements, Lo said.
Another major improvement is that the new drone has a synthetic aperture radar, which enables it to conduct surveillance over a wider range with less interference from limited light or poor weather conditions, he said.
Lo said the Albatross II is compatible with locally developed Tien Chien II (Sky Sword) air-to-air missiles and 2.75-inch rockets, and could outperform Turkey’s Bayraktar TB2 drones, which saw widespread use by Ukrainian forces during Russia’s invasion of the eastern European country.
The Albatross II has a wider wingspan, a higher-output engine and higher-torque propellers than the Turkish drone, he said.
Lo did not divulge when the Albatross II drones might enter service, but said that with tests proceeding on schedule, they could enter mass production next year.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by
RSS