Taiwan yesterday sealed a partnership deal with US and German-based Auterion for drone software battle-tested in Ukraine to help bolster its defenses against growing military threats from China.
Auterion, which makes software used in Ukrainian drones operating combat missions against Russia, said the deal could eventually lead to the technology being used in millions of drones for Taiwan.
China has ramped up military pressure over the past five years, including staging half a dozen rounds of war games.
Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA-EFE
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Taiwan has been studying how Ukraine has deployed drones, both in the air and at sea, to successfully offset Russia’s numerical advantage on the battlefield, given that China’s forces also outnumber Taiwan’s.
Auterion said it had agreed to a strategic partnership with the Ministry of National Defense’s research and development arm, the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, for uncrewed systems and drone-swarming software.
“What we’re bringing to the table has been combat-proven in Ukraine to deter aggression and destroy tanks, naval assets and other really expensive equipment. So by building a large autonomous fleet, Taiwan can deter China,” Auterion’s chief executive Lorenz Meier said.
Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA-EFE
“The partnership is super long-term. So I think in terms of, if you’re trying to put that in number of drones or dollars, we’re expecting millions of drones eventually over multiple years and hundreds of millions of dollars in value that’s being created,” he added, speaking at the sea drone exhibition at the Port of Suao (蘇澳) in Yilan County.
Pushed by the US, Taiwan has been working to transform its armed forces to be able to wage “asymmetric warfare,” using mobile and often cheaper weapons, which still pack a targeted punch, such as drones and truck-mounted missiles.
Chungshan president Lee Shih-chiang (李世強) thanked the five foreign companies who participated at the Suao exhibition.
Photo: Chiang Ying-ying, AP
“I believe that you will soon be sanctioned by the Chinese government, but do not fear, because you have chosen the democratic camp,” he added.
A number of local companies participated in the exhibition hosted by the institute.
It was an opportunity for “potential clients such as the military and coast guard” to collect data from the drone manufacturers for mass production, it said in a statement.
Yilan County-based Lungteh Shipbuilding showcased its Black Tide sea drone, which is designed to operate in “contested environments.” It was among the three uncrewed surface vessels (USV) put through its paces in Suao.
With a top speed of more than 43 knots (80kph), the Black Tide can be used for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and “one-way strike,” the company said.
Meanwhile, Carbon-Based Technology Inc’s “stealth” USV could carry bombs and was cheap enough to conduct “sacrificial” missions, the company said after the drone was tested.
While President William Lai (賴清德) has pledged to make Taiwan “the Asian hub” for drone production, there have been challenges to ramping up the nation’s output.
Taiwan’s annual production capacity for aerial drones is 8,000 to 10,000 units, well below its 2028 target of 180,000 units, the Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET) said in a report on Monday.
High manufacturing costs from using non-China components made it “difficult for Taiwanese products to compete with Chinese-made products in the commercial market,” DSET analysts said.
Limited domestic orders and a scarcity of foreign government contracts were also impeding “further scaling” of production, it said.
Additional reporting by AFP
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