The military is to buy up to 1,200 more attack drones from the US, following an assessment that its current inventory is insufficient, a source said yesterday.
Taiwan has already purchased 685 units of the Switchblade 300 loitering munitions drones from US defense contractor AeroVironment, as well as 291 units of the 600M-V anti-armor drones from contractor Altius, the shipments of which have begun arriving.
However, a recent Ministry of National Defense (MND) assessment showed that the number of attack drones is still insufficient, so another procurement phase has begun, the source said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense
The second phase, codenamed “Project Hunter Owl,” would potentially expand the program to include more powerful attack drones with longer ranges, the source said, adding that the military plans to purchase between 800 and 1,200 units from the US.
Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) last month said that the military might seek to acquire the upgraded Altius-700 series, depending on joint force planning and fiscal conditions.
The ministry initially submitted an NT$11.536 billion (US$376.81 million) budget proposal to the Legislative Yuan for the project, which was reduced to NT$5.78 billion after factoring in Taiwan’s domestic contributions to the drone program, the source said.
The military initially intended to use the surplus to purchase more attack drones directly from the US, but lawmakers rejected the idea, insisting that the money first be returned to the treasury, they said.
“Therefore, the ministry submitted a new procurement proposal to purchase more drones,” they said.
Separately, the budget the ministry submitted to the legislature indicates that the air force would continue to commission the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) to produce Wan Chien air-to-ground cruise missiles, following the conclusion of the Air and Sea Combat Power Improvement Program next year.
The NCSIST had been producing 10 designated weapons systems at a budget of NT$236.97 billion under a five-year program.
The air force has listed a “Wan Chien Missile System Commissioned Production” program worth NT$517.45 million, covering last year to 2028, the budget showed.
Some have speculated that the new program would focus on small-scale production of the Wan Chien II, which has an extended range of up to 400km.
The ministry declined to comment on the speculations.
As of last year, 150 Wan Chien missile systems were completed under the original program.
Production of the Chien Hsiang loitering munition (an anti-radiation uncrewed aerial vehicle) and the long-range Hsiung Sheng surface-to-surface missile system are set to be completed by the end of this year, and production of several other systems are scheduled to be completed by the end of next year.
Production is expected to be completed next year on a coastal defense anti-ship missile system, air defense systems employing Tien Chien II missiles and Tien Kung III surface-to-air missiles, high-performance naval vessels and Coast Guard Administration vessels equipped with weapons systems, the source said.
In related news, a source yesterday said that the army would showcase newly acquired US-made M1A2T Abrams tanks and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) for the first time during the biennial Taipei defense show.
The Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition (TADTE) is to take place from Thursday next week to Saturday at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center’s Hall 1, and would feature a record 400 exhibitors from 14 countries, including the US, France and Germany, organizers said.
Taiwan’s military would, as usual, set up a pavilion at the event, in cooperation with the Armaments Bureau and the NCSIST.
The bureau would display four types of new drones it developed: first-person view drones, explosive drones, kamikaze or suicide drones and surveillance drones, the source said, adding that it would be the explosive’s and suicide drones’ TADTE debut.
The NCSIST would display its attack drone boat, they said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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