Taiwan to speed up drone development, take lessons from Ukraine war
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Taiwan's Defence Ministry spokesman said that the island is speeding up the development and production of drones.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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TAIPEI - Taiwan will speed up the development of drones for military use, taking into account the lessons of the war in Ukraine and the threat posed by China, said the island’s Defence Ministry on Tuesday.
Unmanned aircraft have played a crucial role on both sides since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine
Ukraine’s Defence Minister has said he regarded drones as the future of modern warfare.
China regards Taiwan as a renegade province to be reunified,
Taiwan has repeatedly said it is closely watching the war in Ukraine and learning lessons it could apply to fight off a Chinese attack, including how Ukraine has resisted a numerically superior force.
Taiwan’s Defence Ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang told reporters that the island is speeding up the development and production of drones.
“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,” Mr Sun said.
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.
Mr Chi Li-ping, director of the institute’s Aeronautical Systems Research Division, detailed the drones in development for the military, including for reconnaissance purposes.
“Our country’s drones have already reached international standards when it comes to their type, abilities and relevant technology,” he said.
In a report to Parliament in 2022, 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,
