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.
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
An exhibition celebrating Taiwan and Japan’s comic culture opened on Saturday in Taichung, featuring a section that explores Taiwanese reproductions of Japanese comics from when martial law limited Japanese representation. “A Century of Manga Culture: An Encounter of Taiwan and Japan’s Youth” held its Taiwan opening ceremony at Taichung’s National Taiwan Museum of Comics after an initial one-month run in Japan’s Kyoto International Manga Museum between May 24 and June 24. Much like the Kyoto exhibition, the show mainly celebrates the comic connection between Taiwan and Japan through late Taiwanese comic book
RSS