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Lawrence Chung

Taiwan has begun flight testing its newly acquired MQ-9B drones, giving the island a long-range reconnaissance platform capable of monitoring People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and grey-zone activities across vast stretches of surrounding waters.
The first two of four MQ-9B SeaGuardians ordered from the United States took off from Hualien Air Base in eastern Taiwan on Monday, according to military sources.
It was their first test flight since arriving in Taiwan by sea in June, following nearly three months of assembly, testing and preparations by the air force and US manufacturer General Atomics Aeronautical Systems.
The drones were handed over to Taiwanese personnel in the US on March 17 before being shipped to the southern city of Kaohsiung and transported to Hualien county, where they were assembled in a US military-certified hangar.
They will serve with the 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron at Hualien Air Base.
Military officials said the MQ-9Bs would be used mainly for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance rather than as strike aircraft, particularly to monitor PLA warships and mainland Chinese coastguard vessels involved in grey-zone operations around Taiwan.


Taiwan has allocated NT$21.7 billion (US$684 million) between 2022 and 2029 for four MQ-9Bs, ground-control systems and related equipment. The remaining two aircraft are scheduled for delivery next year.
With satellite communications, sophisticated maritime sensors and endurance measured in dozens of hours, the aircraft could conduct prolonged patrols over high-risk areas that would otherwise require repeated sorties by crewed reconnaissance aircraft.
According to General Atomics, the MQ-9B is a larger and more advanced derivative of the MQ-9A Reaper, which the US military has used extensively for reconnaissance and strike operations.
The MQ-9B has a wingspan of 24 metres (79 feet), has a maximum take-off weight of about 5.67 tonnes and can fly above 40,000 feet (about 12,200 metres). Depending on its configuration, it can remain airborne for more than 40 hours, although operational endurance with a full intelligence and surveillance payload is expected to be shorter.
Kao Chih-jung, a researcher at Taiwan’s government-funded Institute for National Defence and Security Research, estimated that the MQ-9B could conduct missions lasting more than 24-30 hours.
Kao said it had a maximum range exceeding 5,000 nautical miles (9,260km) and an operational radius of up to 1,200 nautical miles.
At an altitude of 25,000 feet, its radar and electro-optical sensors could have a line-of-sight radius of about 194 nautical miles.
“A single aircraft loitering in position could theoretically monitor the entire Taiwan Strait while covering parts of the Bashi Channel to the south and Miyako Strait to the northeast,” Kao said.
Its maritime-search radar could scan through 360 degrees and detect, track and classify targets across “thousands of square nautical miles” every hour while updating information on hundreds of targets each minute, he added.
Taiwan’s MQ-9Bs are equipped for maritime surveillance with systems including SeaVue radar and electro-optical and infrared sensors, as well as satellite communications that allow them to operate beyond the direct line of sight of ground-control stations.
Taiwan’s air force has also tested the MS-110 reconnaissance pod in the US.
Kao said the MQ-9Bs could help establish a broad “surveillance wall” along strategically important waterways in the first island chain, making it more difficult for the PLA to use the western Pacific for tactical manoeuvres or surprise operations.
The first island chain runs along East Asia’s coastline, from the Kuril Islands through Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines down to Borneo. It forms an important part of the US-aligned security architecture in the region.

According to Kao, the drones could use radar and electro-optical sensors to cross-cue targets before sending their coordinates through data links to other units, shortening the response time in the military’s “kill chain”.
But he cautioned against relying heavily on a small number of large drones.
“Although an MQ-9B could detect and classify large numbers of objects, operators would still have to visually identify some targets,” Kao said, noting that the number that could receive detailed, persistent surveillance at any one time would be limited.
The aircraft should instead “perform wide-area searches and identify priority targets before passing intelligence to smaller drones, shore-based radar and other combat units”, he added.
Su Tzu-yun, another senior analyst at the institute, described the MQ-9B as a “satellite within the atmosphere” because of its range and endurance.
“Deployment of the drone could substantially reduce the burden on Taiwan’s crewed tactical reconnaissance aircraft, particularly during routine operations against PLA warships and [mainland] Chinese coastguard vessels,” Su said.
The MQ-9Bs could also support coastguard maritime patrols and, because their communications systems were interoperable with those of the US and other friendly forces, potentially share information when required, he added.
While the MQ-9B can carry weapons and Taiwan’s aircraft have the interfaces needed for future weapons integration, military officials have stressed that their immediate role is surveillance rather than attack.
Su said four aircraft would provide only a basic operational capability and Taiwan “would eventually need a larger uncrewed reconnaissance fleet”.
Rather than necessarily ordering more MQ-9Bs, Taipei could supplement them with locally developed drones such as the medium-altitude, long-endurance Teng Yun 2, allowing the military to expand coverage while controlling costs, he said.
Taiwan’s air force is reportedly considering acquiring several Teng Yun 2 reconnaissance drones from the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, Taiwan’s top weapons developer, potentially creating a “high-low mix” with the more capable MQ-9Bs.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary.
Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-ruled island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.


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News

China

Military

More advanced derivative of MQ-9A Reaper to be used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, island’s military says


More advanced derivative of MQ-9A Reaper to be used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, island’s military says.


United States

Su Tzu-yun

National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology

Taiwan tests US-made MQ-9B drones to counter PLA ‘grey-zone’ operations

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}More advanced derivative of MQ-9A Reaper to be used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, island’s military says

More advanced derivative of MQ-9A Reaper to be used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, island’s military says