Taiwan's novel high-low combination drone approach: Potential challenge to China's aircraft collection?
U.S. and Taiwan Deepen Cooperation on Drones and Emerging Technologies
The United States is strengthening its partnership with Taiwan in the development of drones and cutting-edge technologies. This collaboration is set to culminate in the unveiling of new drone systems at the Taipei Aerospace & Defence Technology Exhibition, scheduled for later this month.
According to reports, the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) is leading the development of these drones. The NCSIST has been working on this project since around 2020.
The drones in question are being positioned as a cost-effective alternative to cruise missiles. They are said to have a minimum range of 1,000km (620 miles), potentially allowing them to reach deep into mainland China, including cities like Beijing and Shanghai. However, specific details about their capabilities remain scarce.
Steve Fendley, President of Kratos' Unmanned Systems Division, has confirmed the collaboration but declined to provide details about the UAV development. He did mention that the Chien Feng IV, one of the drones under development, is a derivative of the MQM-178 Firejet target drone system.
The MQM-178 Firejet is a system that the Chien Feng IV is derived from, but it's unclear if the new drone shares the same capabilities. The collaboration on UAVs began early this year and has been progressing rapidly.
Last month, The War Zone published an interview with Steve Fendley where he discussed the UAV development. Despite earlier reports suggesting the Chien Feng IV is a derivative of the MQM-178 system, Fendley has not provided any details about the collaboration on this specific drone.
Taiwan is also developing a new class of low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to expand its long-range strike abilities. Further details about these drones, including the Chien Feng IV, are expected to be revealed at the Taipei Aerospace & Defence Technology Exhibition.
However, the specifics of the collaboration between Taiwan and the U.S. on these drones remain undisclosed. It's an exciting development in the field of drone technology and we'll keep you updated as more information becomes available.
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