TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR) on Friday (July 16) published a paper recommending that Taiwan consider Western-developed drone defense systems, as drones have become an increasingly prevalent technology in modern warfare.
The report, written by INDSR assistant researcher Hsu Chih-hsiang (許智翔) and titled “The development of remotely-controlled weapons stations (RWS) to be integrated into anti-drone capabilities is worthy of Taiwan’s attention,” called on Taiwan to note the different approaches Western countries have taken to bolster their drone defense capabilities.
Hsu said that drone technology is growing exponentially and has become a major threat on the battlefield. The researcher added that because China is already leading the world in commercial drones, Taiwan would certainly face the threat of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) deployed by its neighbor during a military conflict.
Hsu listed prominent drone defense solutions such as France’s M151 Protector RWS and Milad mobile anti-drone system, Germany’s installation of a Heckler & Koch automatic grenade launcher on a GTK Boxer armored fighting vehicle combined with a Spexer 2000 3D radar, and Russia’s addition of an Arbalet-DM RWS to a GAZ Tigr infantry mobility vehicle.
The researcher said that soft kill systems, including drone jamming guns, are useful during both peace and wartime, especially in densely populated areas. He added that Taiwan should consider integrating RWS into its drone defense capabilities as it reviews its UAV countermeasure needs.