TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded a contract to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) to produce four MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones for Taiwan.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) stated on his Facebook page on Aug. 31 that the Air Force Command Headquarters had invited a U.S. military delegation to sign a formal procurement contract for four MQ-9B SkyGuardian UAVs at the American Institute in Taiwan. On May 1, the DoD announced GA-ASI was awarded a contract valued at US$217.6 million to produce four MQ-9B SkyGuardian UAVs.
In addition to the four UAVs, the weapons sale also includes two Certifiable Ground Control Stations, spares, and support equipment. The manufacturing will take place in Poway, California, and the project will be completed on May 5, 2025.
The foreign military sale was originally agreed to by the U.S. State Department in November 2020. The cost at the time was estimated at US$600 million, but this price reflected a greater number of deliverables than the four MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones.
The Defense Post reported that the timing of the purchase comes as Taiwan "continues to prepare for a possible Chinese invasion." The MQ-9B SkyGuardian drone specializes in conducting continuous intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.
The drone can fly for more than 40 hours via satellite in all kinds of weather, according to the GA-ASI website. The MQ-9B SkyGuardian UAV can also be configured to support electronic warfare and airborne early warning, as well as perform anti-submarine warfare missions.
The media outlet said the U.S. believes that the acquisition of the four MQ-9B SkyGuardian UAVs enables Taiwan to better surveil China, as it steps up military maneuvers around the country. In the original announcement of the proposed sale in 2020, the State Department asserted that the deal would "improve the recipient’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), target acquisition, and counter-land, counter-sea, and anti-submarine strike capabilities for its security and defense."
It added, "The capability is a deterrent to regional threats and will strengthen the recipient’s self-defense."
