Taiwan to acquire US drones by 2026

DELIVERY UPDATE:
The US has assured Taiwan that it aims to deliver Stinger missile systems by next year, after complaints from Taipei, a military source said

• By Kayleigh Madjar, Lo Tien-pin and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, staff writers, with CNA

Taiwan is to take delivery of two General Atomics MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones from the US in 2026 and another two by 2027, a US Air Force spokesperson said yesterday.

The spokesperson in an e-mail to the Central News Agency confirmed that Taiwan had purchased the four drones, two mobile ground control systems and related equipment from the US for US$467 million.

The purchase was approved by Washington in November 2020 and the contract was delivered to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc in May last year, for completion by May next year.

The US Department of Defense released a statement about the four-year-old deal last week, leading some media to mistakenly report that Taiwan had purchased another four SkyGuardian drones.

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency’s 2020 announcement of the sale said that the drones would help Taiwan by “providing timely intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; target acquisition; and counter-land, counter-sea and anti-submarine strike capabilities for its security and defense.”

Based on a notice sent from the department to the US Congress, the drones are to be equipped with a maritime monitoring and positioning system, leading to speculation that Taipei purchased the SeaGuardian variation of the drone, Cato Institute senior fellow Eric Gomez said yesterday.

Regardless of which type, the MQ-9B drone can fly for long periods at high altitudes, Gomez said.

This makes it ideal for continuous surveillance during peacetime, helping to reduce Taiwan’s reliance on fighter jets, he said.

However, it can easily be spotted and shot down at high altitudes, making it less useful in a high-intensity conflict, he added.

Meanwhile, the US has assured Taiwan that FIM-92 Stinger man-portable air-defense systems would not be delayed with a goal of delivering them by next year, a Taiwanese military source said, speaking on condition of anonymity and citing the latest US status reports.

The US had been dragging its feet on the delivery of the systems since 2021, while the Ministry of National Defense had, as of October last year, sent 11 letters requesting that Washington expedite the delivery of the systems, the source said.

Taiwan had also lodged two formal complaints with the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency, and asked that the US replace the project manager, they said.

A Ministry of National Defense budget showed that Army Command Headquarters had set aside NT$7.26 billion (US$227.81 million), covering 2019 to next year, for 250 Stinger missiles, 108 gripstock-control groups — which attach to a shoulder-fired guided missile launch tube — and 108 identification friend or foe transponders.

Navy Command Headquarters has allocated NT$6.19 billion from 2017 to next year for 250 Stinger missiles, 70 gripstock-control groups and 62 transponders.

Capital defense units, such as the military police, the Marine Corps and the army’s special forces units, were prioritized to receive the weapons, the source said.

Legislators across party lines expressed concern regarding the often-changing delivery dates for the Stinger missiles, saying they were afraid shipments might have been shifted to meet supply needs for Ukraine, the source said.

However, with the missile components in production, it is less likely that delivery dates would be changed again, they said.

The US is holding regular meetings on missile production, and the ministry has dispatched representatives to ensure that this batch of Stinger missiles is delivered on time, they said.