Taiwan Ramps up Drone Development to Guard From China Threat

Taiwan will prioritise drone development, having taken lessons from the war in Ukraine. Photo: Reuters.

Taiwan’s defence ministry said on Tuesday that it will focus on drone development for military uses to guard against the threat posed by China.

Lessons have been taken from the war in Ukraine, Taiwan’s defence ministry said, where drones have played a crucial role on both sides.

Taiwan, which is facing a growing threat from China to use force to bring it under Beijing’s control, has repeatedly said it is closely watching the war and learning lessons it could apply to fight off a Chinese attack, including how Ukraine has resisted a numerically-superior force.

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“Responding to the present enemy threat and using the general experience of drones in the Ukraine-Russia war, in order to construct an asymmetric combat power for our country’s drones, the defence ministry is speeding up research and development and production of various drones,” Taiwan Defence Ministry spokesperson Sun Li-fang told reporters.

The military-owned National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology is taking the lead in the development push and will be including civilian companies, he added.

Chi Li-ping, director of the institute’s Aeronautical Systems Research Division, detailed drones in development for the military, including for reconnaissance purposes.

In a report to parliament last year, the institute laid out plans for the missiles and drones it has in development, while the defence ministry has previously announced plans to start manufacturing unspecified “attack drones”.

Taiwan has also had to deal with Chinese drones which have buzzed Taiwan-controlled islands off the Chinese coast.