TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Armaments Bureau will hold a military drone procurement briefing on Thursday in Taipei as the government plans to purchase about 48,750 UAVs worth around NT$50 billion (US$1.7 billion) between next year and 2027, CNA reported.
The bureau will outline the uses and model requirements for the drones. The briefing is expected to attract major Taiwanese drone makers, including AIDC, Thunder Tiger, Coretronic Corp., GEOSAT Aerospace & Technology, and Evergreen Aviation Technologies.
The bureau said that Chinese companies and firms with Chinese capital will be barred from participating and emphasized that all UAVs and components must be free of China-made parts. Drone module components must be domestically produced, though foreign suppliers may be used for technologies Taiwan currently lacks, such as flight-control software and satellite-communication chips.
The drones for the procurement will include first-person view drones, bomb-dropping drones, small and medium loitering munitions, and reconnaissance drones. Among them, FPV models — which are operated by pilots wearing flight goggles or VR headsets to control the drone via camera feed — will be in the highest demand, with up to 34,000 units planned.
AIDC said that it will team up with tech-capable small and medium enterprises to mass-produce drones, unmanned boats, and counter-drone systems. The company will also collaborate with National Cheng Kung University and AVIX Technology on medium loitering munitions, and plans to work with foreign firms to produce unmanned vessels.
Thunder Tiger, a company with experience in model aircraft that has moved into military drones, said the government’s procurement is expected to boost its operations. The company reported third-quarter revenue of NT$325 million, with a loss of NT$28.53 million, mainly due to increased R&D spending. It added that it can produce military-standard models for the types the government plans to buy.
Evergreen Aviation Technologies and Asia Pacific Airlines have experience in manufacturing and repairing components for military and commercial drones, while Coretronic focuses on UAVs’ optical sensors, imaging systems, and communication modules. Lungteh Shipbuilding specializes in military vessels, including patrol and naval ships, and has seen revenue growth under the government’s indigenous shipbuilding policy.
On Thursday, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said the government will allocate an additional NT$1.25 trillion to the defense budget, pending approval by the Legislative Yuan. The funding aims to strengthen Taiwan’s military capabilities from next year through 2033 to deter China’s military threats. Measures include enhancing air defense systems, improving long-range strike capabilities, upgrading weaponry, and using part of the budget to promote industrial development.
