Taiwanese officials attended a ceremony last week for the delivery of the first two of four MQ-9B Skyguardian drones purchased from the US, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced yesterday.
A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) and joined by Taiwan’s Representative to the US Alexander Yui (俞大㵢) attended the ceremony on March 17, according to an MND statement.
The ministry did not disclose the ceremony’s location.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense via CNA
The ministry thanked the US government and the drone manufacturer, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc, for facilitating the delivery, and said it would continue to work closely with Washington to ensure delivery of the remaining drones on schedule.
The MND has said Taiwan has ordered four MQ-9B surveillance drones from the US, with deliveries scheduled in two batches of two in 2026 and 2027. The MQ-9B is an updated version of the MQ-9 Reaper.
Institute for National Defense and Security Research assistant research fellow Hsieh Pei-shiue (謝沛學) wrote in 2020, when the US first approved the sale, that the drone is capable of linking to satellite communications shared among US allies.
This means Taiwan and its US counterparts could instantly share battlefield intelligence, enhancing cooperability during a conflict.
The ministry’s announcement came one day after it said the same group of Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the US. The aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year.
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