Taiwan-US drone development collaboration may take a major step forward as the US Congress proposes its latest version of the National Defense Authorization Act, which would require a joint drone development program by March 1, 2026.
00:00March 1, 2026, that's the deadline the U.S. Congress's latest National Defense Authorization Act is giving the Department of Defense to start up its drone collaboration program with Taiwan.
00:11In a document with timeline stretching five years into the future, this short time frame of just four months is a clear indicator that this is a priority for Washington.
00:30Both Taiwan's defense and foreign ministries thanked Washington for the support, although neither commented on unannounced arms agreements.
00:54Taiwan already has its own drone ambitions. Its Navy posted its requirement for a new drone boat on Monday, and there are already Taiwanese companies eyeing the project.
01:03The Navy is looking for a boat with sufficient range and speed to cover much of Taiwan's coastline, and a payload with real striking power.
01:10It would also need to be able to operate for hours in rough seas on a single charge.
01:14And just two weeks ago, the Defense Ministry unveiled its procurement strategy for aerial drones, 50,000 units over the next two years of different types, first-person-view drones, bombers, medium- and short-range loitering munitions, and coastal surveillance drones.
01:30Taiwan is heavily investing in a drone industrial park in Jiayi County, seeking to become an international hub for like-minded countries and leverage Taiwan's expertise in manufacturing.
01:40By mid-2026, the first result of this Taiwan-US collaboration,
02:10may already be operating in the skies and waters around Taiwan.
02:14If so, it would represent a new example of security collaboration between Taiwan and its partners.
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