Amid Chinese Provocations, Taiwan Shows Off Its Indigenous Military Drones

Taiwan demonstrated self-developed drone technology on Tuesday, amid growing concern about China's threats to use its force to assert the claim to the self-governing island republic, Taiwan. 

The National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, which develops military technology, provided a rare glimpse of the Jian Xiang drone, which is designed to destroy enemy radars and unmanned combat aerial vehicles.

A truck transported a dozen of the single-use drones, officially known as loitering munitions. They are launched with an integrated rocket and are guided by a propeller engine before crashing into their targets.

According to Chi Li-ping, director of the institute's Aeronautical System Research Division, any country that is “confident in itself” will devise strategies and develop defence technologies.

Chi said unmanned combat aerial vehicles as a “future weapons, that’s why we are conducting research and developing strategies.”

Taiwan's army received the first of 100 helicopter drones ordered from the institute last month. Chi emphasised the significance of relaying images to the army's command and communication systems for analysis and transmission to combat units.

Taiwan has also developed the Teng Yun unmanned aerial vehicle, which is similar to the American MQ-9 Reaper and can stay aloft for up to 24 hours.

While the United States and others have long used drones to target alleged terrorists and others, they have proven especially useful in Russia's war on Ukraine. Moscow has purchased drones from Iran, while Kyiv has had success with Turkey's low-cost Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles, which carry lightweight, laser-guided bombs.

Meanwhile, China has continued to develop its own drones, some of which have been exported.

In response to a visit to Taiwan by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, China increased its military threat against the island in August. It fired missiles over the island and held live-fire military drills in six self-declared zones in what appeared to be a practise run for a possible blockade and invasion of the island, which would almost certainly include Taiwan's main ally, the United States, as well as American allies Japan and Australia.