Taiwan Bolsters Defense with US Drones Amid PLA Drills and Tensions with Beijing

Taiwan has consented to purchase almost 1,000 American combat drones while the People's Liberation Army conducts exercises near the island. Taipei has entered into agreements with the unofficial US embassy in Taiwan to acquire these loitering munitions, following Beijing's response to comments made by William Lai.

Based on information from a government procurement portal, the Taiwanese military finalized two agreements with the American Institute in Taiwan, which serves as Washington's unofficial embassy in Taipei, on Tuesday.

The agreements, which total NT$5.27 billion (US$163.9 million), encompass the purchase of two varieties of kamikaze drones: 685 Switchblade 300 drones intended for targeting individuals, and 291 Altius 600M-V drones aimed at destroying armored targets.

It is anticipated that the Switchblade drones will be delivered by November 2029, and the Altius drones should arrive by December 2027.

The agreements indicate that drones will be stationed at crucial strategic points such as Taoyuan in the northern part of the island, Taichung in central Taiwan, Kaohsiung in the southern region, and Hualien in the eastern area.

The Switchblade and Altius systems are both types of loitering munitions, which are engineered to hover over a designated area and launch an attack once a target is detected.