The Ministry of National Defense on Thursday said it has purchased four General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper drones from the US, which it expects to take delivery of in 2025.
Photo: CNA
The drones would be handed over in the US in the latter half of 2025, with all equipment for the drones to be received by the first half of 2027, Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) said, adding that drone operators would be trained for six months before the drones enter military service.
Chiu made the comments while reporting to the legislature's Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on the progress of the military’s procurement of fighter jets and defense weapons.
Lee Shih-Chiang (李世強), head of the ministry’s Department of Strategic Planning, said the drones – which were purchased for NT$21.7 billion – would be delivered in two allotments of two, and that the six months of training would be conducted in the US.
“We originally hoped that the entire training process could be carried out in Taiwan, but the training modules and venues required could not be fully replicated in Taiwan without incurring great cost,” he said.
The MQ-9B drone would give the military a significant combat advantage, as it would provide a data link allowing real-time information sharing with the US, he said, adding that this would create a collaborative combat environment, and assist the US in making precision long-range strikes.
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