Taiwan plans to classify small drones as “consumables” to streamline acquisition and ensure easier access for military units.
The initiative follows a US model announced in July, which treated small drones under Group 1 and Group 2 (up to 55 pounds) as expendables similar to ammunition, enabling faster field-level procurement, Focus Taiwan reported.
According to Su Tzu-yun, Director of the National Defense and Security Research Division, with low single-drone strike accuracy (around 10 percent), success depends on deploying drones in volume. The shift, he noted, will also encourage closer collaboration with local drone manufacturers.
Expanding Uncrewed Capabilities
With Beijing maintaining the threat of force to annex the island, Taiwan is enhancing asymmetric defenses, drawing heavily on drone lessons from Ukraine’s battlefield use.
By 2027, Taiwan aims to acquire nearly 49,000 domestically built drones and embed drone training across its military ranks.
In addition, the country has recently received Altius loitering munitions from Anduril and showcased two indigenous drones — a strike-capable UAV and a catapult-launched suicide drone.
