Taiwan enters groundbreaking agreement to acquire 1,000 attack drones

The Taiwan Ministry of Defense has reached formal agreements with the U.S. government to purchase up to 1,000 attack drones from AeroVironment Inc. and Anduril Industries Inc., aiming to strengthen its defences against a potential Chinese invasion, according to industry sources familiar with the deal.

In late September, Taiwan signed a “letter of offer and acceptance,” marking a crucial step toward formal contracts that will detail the quantities, financial specifics, and delivery schedules of the drones.

These contracts are expected to be finalized soon, as per the sources who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the transaction, Caliber.Az reports via Bloomberg.

A State Department spokesperson declined to comment on the pending sales to Taiwan.

Attack drones have become an essential element of modern military operations. Forces in both Russia and Ukraine have deployed thousands of drones for reconnaissance and offensive actions amid their ongoing conflict. Drones were also utilized in a significant Iranian strike on Israel in April.

These transactions illustrate how both Taiwan and the U.S. are adapting their defence strategies based on lessons learned from the war in Ukraine, according to retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery, a senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies who has assessed Taiwan’s defence requirements.

Earlier this year, in June, the State Department informed Congress of its approval for the sale of as many as 291 Anduril ALTIUS 600M-V systems, valued at around $300 million, along with up to 720 AeroVironment Switchblade 300 “B” model drones, estimated to be worth $60 million.

Anduril's ALTIUS 600M-V is a versatile drone system that allows a single operator to manage multiple units simultaneously, with a range of approximately 100 miles (160 kilometres) and a flight duration of nearly two hours. In contrast, AeroVironment's four-pound drone is designed to loiter over a target for up to 20 minutes and features a specialized anti-armour warhead, boasting a range of about 19 miles (30 kilometres).

By Tamilla Hasanova