Taiwan agrees to buy nearly 1,000 US killer drones as PLA stages drills around island

Taipei signs deals with Washington’s de facto embassy to buy loitering munitions as Beijing retaliates over William Lai’s remarks

Reading Time:2 minutes

A member of the US Marine Corps launches a Switchblade 300 drone during a drill in California in September 2020. Photo: Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group

Published: 8:00pm, 15 Oct 2024Updated: 9:48am, 17 Oct 2024

Taiwan has signed contracts to purchase nearly 1,000 killer drones from the United States, bolstering its asymmetric warfare capabilities amid rising cross-strait tensions.

The announcement came a day after the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) staged massive joint combat exercises around Taiwan on Monday in retaliation for Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te’s perceived pro-independence stance.

According to a government procurement website, the Taiwanese army signed two contracts with the American Institute in Taiwan, Washington’s de facto embassy in Taipei, on Tuesday.

The contracts, valued at a total of NT$5.27 billion (US$163.9 million), involve the acquisition of two types of suicide drones: 685 Switchblade 300 loitering munitions, designed for personnel strikes, and 291 Altius 600M-V anti-armour attack drones.

The Switchblade drones are expected to be delivered by the end of November 2029 while the Altius drones are expected to be delivered by the end of 2027.

The contracts reveal that the drones will be deployed in key strategic locations, including Taoyuan in the north of the island, Taichung in central Taiwan, Kaohsiung in the south and Hualien in the east.

Both the Switchblade and Altius systems are classified as loitering munitions designed to patrol a target area and strike when a target is identified.