As the threat from China increases, Taiwan introduces its new combat and surveillance drones.

On Tuesday, Taiwan unveiled its first portable attack drone, designed to address the escalating military pressure from China. China considers Taiwan as a part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to reunify the island with the mainland.

Taiwan’s National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) developed the unmanned aerial vehicle, which is similar to the Switchblade 300 used by Ukrainian soldiers in their conflict with Russia. The single-use drone is small enough to be carried in a backpack and can remain in the air for 15 minutes with a maximum flying distance of 10 kilometres.

NCSIST’s head of Aeronautical Systems Research, Chi Li-pin, said that the lightweight and portable drone could be likened to a “big grenade that can fly” and is highly effective in attacking targets near the country’s shores.

The announcement of the new drone follows rising tensions between Taiwan and China in recent years, as Beijing steps up its military pressure on the island. Experts believe that China’s sabre-rattling is aimed at pushing Taiwan to reunify with the mainland, and the country’s new drone is seen as a part of its strategy to deter potential aggression.

Taiwan is also developing a next-generation “suicide” attack drone, including larger versions that can be used for longer distance attacks. The strategy of using relatively inexpensive and mobile weapon systems, and training civilians to fight, is known as an asymmetric “porcupine strategy” and is being adopted to make it harder for China’s larger military to invade.

Recommended Further Readings