Overview
- During this week’s Han Kuang exercises Taiwan displayed and tested domestically built mid-size one-way strike drones while troops practised drone reconnaissance and counter-drone drills.
- The government has set targets to produce 100,000 drones a month by 2030 and to field more than 210,000 aerial and maritime drones, backed by multibillion-dollar procurement proposals that face legislative scrutiny.
- Taiwan’s drone industry and exports have surged, with $115 million in sales in the first quarter of 2026 that outpaced all of 2025 and included shipments to the Czech Republic and transfers that reached Ukraine.
- The military is reorganizing to use unmanned systems operationally, creating a Littoral Combat Command that pairs drones with mobile missiles and artillery and changing tactics to favor mobility and distributed targeting.
- Limits remain: China is building counter-drone tools and patrols, Taiwan must overcome jamming, harsh Taiwan Strait weather, and supply-chain bottlenecks, and widespread drone use will reshape reservist training and civilian resilience.