00:00U.S. lawmakers are getting an inside look at Taiwan's military R&D hub,
00:04as Taipei hopes to show Washington that the country is committed to its own defense.
00:09But even with growing local innovation,
00:12Taiwan's deputy defense minister says some legislators are concerned with one key issue,
00:17the weapons that have yet to arrive in Iraq.
00:20So I'm going to repeat the question requested by the legislature.
00:25It goes. There are still items that we have already paid and not yet delivered.
00:32So a legislator would amend it to express that message to senators.
00:42U.S. Senators Jean Shaheen and John Curtis led a bipartisan delegation
00:46to the National Zhongshan Institute of Science and Technology, or NCSIST.
00:52One weapon there drew particular attention.
00:55A new drone warhead, developed jointly with the U.S.
00:59It can penetrate up to 50mm of high-strength steel,
01:02capabilities that could prove useful to Taiwan's allies.
01:16Taiwan's military plans to carry the warhead using the country's mighty Hornet 4th drones,
01:21part of a system set to be showcased at Exponential 2026,
01:25an annual on-mint systems and robotics show in the U.S.
01:29Defense Minister Wellington Koo on Tuesday said the warhead is still at the testing stage,
01:35and once approved, production costs could be included in the country's special defense budget.
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