On the other is an increasingly assertive China, determined to gain control over the democratically governed island and displace America as the leading regional power. On one side are the United States and its allies, including Taiwan, Australia, Japan and South Korea, who want to preserve American dominance in the region. Taiwan’s bid to mass-produce drones is part of an intensifying military rivalry that is dividing Asia, setting off a sprint to harness emerging technologies with the potential to deliver a decisive boost in firepower. “For a country with advanced industries, Taiwan cannot be absent.” “For future generations, drones will play a very important role in both civilian and military applications,” the President’s office said. “In Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the entire world saw the importance of drones.” The Russia-Ukraine war has given Taiwan “great inspiration”, Ms Tsai’s office said in response to questions from Reuters. These will include mini-drones that weigh less than 2kg as well as larger surveillance craft with a range of 150km. The aim, according to a government planning document reviewed by Reuters, is to build more than 3,200 military drones by mid-2024. We hope to quickly build up our capacity based on our existing technology so that we can be like Ukraine.” “We are trying our best to develop drones with commercial specifications for military use. “We need to quickly catch up, with thousands of drones,” aerospace entrepreneur Max Lo, coordinator of the drone effort, told Reuters in an interview. Under the “Drone National Team” programme, Taiwan is recruiting the island’s commercial drone-makers and aviation and aerospace firms in a joint effort with the military to fast-track the building of a self-sufficient drone supply chain. Clearly outmatched, Ms Tsai “pressed the button” on the creation of a strategic plan to close the gap, said a person who attended a series of meetings in which the drone strategy was forged.
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