The US is considering providing the navy with Jump 20 uncrewed aerial vehicles to strengthen its mid to long-range reconnaissance capabilities and support its development of a new-generation reconnaissance drone, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday.
The US previously provided drones of the same type to the Coast Guard Administration in 2022, the source said, adding that the drones offered to the navy, although of the same kind, would have more advanced specifications.
The drone was provided as part of the US foreign military financing program, the source said.
Photo: screen grab from AeroVironment Inc’s Web site
The Jump 20 is among the first wave of drones developed under the US Future Tactical Uncrewed Aircraft System Program and has only been provided to Ukraine and Taiwan outside the US armed forces, the source said.
The US has allegedly provided Taiwan “free military assistance” per the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, including 80,000 sets of personal equipment and 1,000 M240B machine guns, the source said.
The Ministry of National Defense has neither confirmed nor denied the reports.
The source declined to comment on what other kinds of equipment would be provided aside from the Jump 20 drone.
The Jump 20 is a fixed-wing drone with vertical takeoff and landing capabilities. It was developed by Arlington, Virginia-based AeroVironment Inc.
Chang Yen-ting (張延廷), a former deputy commander of the air force, in 2023 said that the drone can provide multisensor intelligence, and surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.
The drone can stay airborne for more than 14 hours per mission and has a top speed of 93kph, he said, adding that its low visual and acoustic signature make it ideal for multimission operations.
Chieh Chung (揭仲), an associate research fellow at the National Policy Foundation in Taipei, in 2023 said that the drone would indirectly improve Taiwan’s capability to survey its surrounding waters, which would help the nation counter “gray zone” threats by China.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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