Taiwan Copied UKRAINE'S Smartest Move… Now China Can NEVER Win

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Become a Member Today and Unlock EXCLUSIVE Videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKfak8fBm_Lhy4eX9UKxEpA/join  Inspired by Ukraine’s revolutionary drone tactics, Taiwan is accelerating plans to turn the Taiwan Strait into an asymmetric "unmanned Hellscape" to deter a potential Chinese invasion. Backed by a $6.6 billion budget to acquire over 200,000 strike drones, reconnaissance UAVs, and unmanned surface vessels, Taipei is shifting away from conventional platform battles toward a mass-produced, multi-domain defense shield. Discover how Taiwan is scaling domestic manufacturing and updating its military doctrine to stall the PLA and safeguard the island.  ⏱️ CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Taiwan Drone Strategy Prepares for China Invasion 01:15 - US Navy Plans Unmanned Hellscape in Taiwan 02:30 - Project Overmatch Integrates US Drone Swarm Data 03:45 - Taiwan Targets Producing 100,000 Drones Every Month 05:00 - Taiwan Allocates $6.6B Budget for 200,000 UAVs 06:15 - PLA Military Power Outmatches Taiwanese Conventional Forces 07:30 - US Firms Supply MQ-9 SeaGuardian Drones to Taiwan 08:45 - Han Kuang Exercises Train Troops in Drone Warfare 10:00 - Taiwan Littoral Combat Command Builds Coastal Missile Shield 11:15 - PLA Island Blockade Threatens Taiwanese Military Supply Lines 12:30 - Taiwan Drone Exports Surpass $115 Million in 2026 13:44 - Can Taiwan's Drone Hellscape Deter a Chinese Invasion?  Support us directly as we bring you independent, up-to-date reporting on military news and global conflicts by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMilitaryShow/join  #militarystrategy #militarydevelopments #militaryanalysis #themilitaryshow  SOURCES: https://pastebin.com/tLj7v1eC

Transcript

00:00For Taiwan, it's not a question of if China will eventually invade, but when.

00:05It could still be some time away, or it might happen within the next 12 months.

00:09Either way, the island territory wants to be ready to defend itself as well as it possibly

00:14can.

00:15In order to do that, it's taking some serious inspiration from another country that has

00:19had to deal with aggression from a significantly larger and stronger neighbour, Ukraine.

00:24Ukraine's mastery of drone warfare has helped Kiev's forces achieve the impossible, turning

00:29the tide of a conflict that seemed destined to end in a resounding Russian victory.

00:33And if drones can help Ukraine fend off Russia, then perhaps they could do something similar

00:38for Taiwan with China.

00:40That's why the Taiwanese military has made the call to create a drone hellscape to stop

00:45an invasion before it even begins.

00:47That term, hellscape, was coined back in August 2023 by then commander of United States Indo-Pacific

00:54Command, John Acolino, and was described in detail by his successor, Admiral Samuel Paparo,

00:59in an interview with the Washington Post.

01:01I want to turn the Taiwan Strait into an unmanned hellscape using a number of classified capabilities,

01:07so that I can make their lives utterly miserable for a month, which buys me the time for the

01:11rest of everything.

01:13To be more precise, the hellscape's strategy envisions a battlefield absolutely filled with

01:18drones, tens of thousands of them in all forms, from unmanned ships and submarines in the water,

01:23to aircraft dotting the skies, all working in tandem to engage thousands of enemy targets

01:28all at once.

01:29It's an idea that the US has been working on for quite some time, with the Department

01:34of Defense taking big steps towards procuring and fielding enormous amounts of unmanned systems,

01:39having learned just how effective they can be from the war in Ukraine.

01:42The Department also began its replicator initiative in 2023, aimed at developing new unmanned system

01:49capabilities to help America and its allies stay one step ahead of their enemies in this

01:54domain.

01:55Because hellscape isn't just about having huge amounts of drones, it's also about enabling

01:59them to work together.

02:01That's why the US Navy has also been working on programs like Project Overmatch, which focuses

02:06on combining information flows from different drones and units into a single picture, turning

02:12the hellscape from a cluster of independent unmanned systems into a single coalesced force

02:17sharing the same aims and information.

02:19In theory, should the US gain credible intelligence regarding an invasion of Taiwan in the days

02:25and weeks prior, it could rapidly reposition its unmanned assets like MQ-9 Reaper UAVs from

02:30the Philippines and unmanned surface vessels USVs from various parts of the Pacific region

02:36towards Taiwan.

02:37Since they're relatively small and lightweight, assets like these are often quite easy to

02:42move, compared to larger military vehicles and equipment.

02:45Once in place, thousands of unmanned systems could be launched from the likes of submarines,

02:49surface ships and aircraft around the region over the course of the initial days and weeks

02:54of the war.

02:54Their objective wouldn't be to completely destroy the opposing force, it would simply be

02:59to delay it and make any sort of progression as difficult to achieve as possible, buying time

03:04for allies to mobilize and other larger assets to arrive in the region.

03:08That's exactly what Taiwan needs, but it's not counting on America alone to defend its

03:12interests.

03:13It's taking steps to be able to create its very own hellscape.

03:17Entire fleets of unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs and unmanned attack boats are being built

03:22across the territory's military facilities as we speak.

03:25The idea is simple.

03:26Should China launch an invasion, Taiwan's drone army will allow it to stay one step ahead.

03:31Taking to the air and the seas, these unmanned vehicles will be able to spot any signs of

03:36enemy movement in advance.

03:37From there, Taiwan can orchestrate a rapid response, literally flooding the Taiwan Strait

03:42with vast swarms of drones, in addition to missiles and artillery fire, in order to absolutely

03:47overwhelm the invading force, raining down fire from the skies while also striking from

03:52the water to make the amphibious assault far deadlier than China could have ever imagined.

03:56Like their US counterparts, Taiwanese tacticians were inspired by the remarkable achievements

04:01of the Ukrainian armed forces.

04:03Until that war began, Taipei perhaps hadn't quite realized the value that drones could hold,

04:08with Lieutenant General Wang Wenqi, Director General of Strategic Planning for the Taiwanese

04:13Defense Ministry, recently telling lawmakers,

04:16Our drone and counter-drone efforts started relatively late, and initially we were trying

04:20things out as we went along.

04:22Now, however, Taiwan has absolutely understood that drone warfare could be the difference maker

04:27it needs to withstand a war with China.

04:30Wanting to become the next big drone superpower, just like Ukraine before it, the Taiwanese Ministry

04:35of Economic Affairs announced in May 2026 that it intends to produce 100,000 drones per month

04:42by 2030, with half of those being exported to strengthen the country's economy, and the

04:47remaining half remaining in Taiwan for national defense and security.

04:51According to Xiao Xu Shui, Director General of the MOEA's Industrial Development Administration,

04:57Taiwan is currently able to produce a maximum of around 15,000 units, with around 20% of them

05:03being exported, but it wouldn't take much to scale up production.

05:06He also noted that, even though China is able to create cheap consumer-grade drones in vast quantities

05:12quite easily, thanks to its large-scale production infrastructure, Taiwan is still able to compete

05:17quite strongly when it comes to military-grade UAVs, with the likes of anti-jamming features

05:22and autonomous flight systems.

05:24In June 2026, Taiwan took its commitment to drone warfare one step further.

05:30The country's executive branch pitched a whopping $6.6 billion budget for the procurement of over

05:35200,000 domestically-made unmanned systems designed to defend the island against invaders.

05:41To be more specific, the proposal would cover the acquisition of 208,200 one-way strike drones,

05:48along with an additional 1,446 reconnaissance drones and a batch of 1,320 unmanned surface

05:55vessels, as detailed by the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense.

05:59The Secretary General of the country's National Security Council, Joseph Wu, said that these

06:04drones would form an unmanned shield for the island, with Minister of National Defense, Wellington

06:09Ku, adding that the systems would significantly improve maritime domain awareness and targeting

06:14capability.

06:15This all represents quite a big shift in Taiwanese military strategy.

06:19Taiwan has always known that the threat of Chinese invasion was real, with Xi Jinping stating

06:24on numerous occasions that the reunification of China and Taiwan is, in his words, unstoppable.

06:30Yet for years, Taipei's tactics focused mostly on quite conventional methods to counter an unexpected

06:36attack from the mainland.

06:37The country invested heavily in large military platforms like fighter jets and heavy tanks,

06:42the kind of equipment needed to fight a conventional battle.

06:45It was, in effect, preparing to confront China head-on in the water and along the coastlines,

06:51engaging in symmetrical combat and relying on innate advantages of geography to provide the

06:56all-important edge its forces needed to keep pace with their enemy.

06:59Over time, Taiwan has realized that a much smarter approach is to embrace asymmetric warfare

07:05instead.

07:05Because when war with China comes, it will not be a fair fight.

07:09The Chinese People's Liberation Army will be far larger, stronger and better funded, with

07:15more aircraft, vessels, ground vehicles and far more troops too, plus massive stockpiles

07:20of missiles and other long-range munitions.

07:22Indeed, there's a clear reason why China sits third in the global firepower military strength

07:27rankings while Taiwan is down in 22nd place.

07:31It's a similar sort of disparity to Russia, second in the rankings and Ukraine 20th.

07:36And just as Ukraine rapidly realized it was never going to defeat Russia in a conventional

07:40conflict, Taiwan has also had to accept it cannot go toe-to-toe with such a mighty force.

07:46But that doesn't mean it can't compete with it.

07:48It's simply a question of choosing the right tactics and the right equipment, which is why

07:53Taipei has been so keen to move away from conventional firepower and towards the sort of mobile, distributed

07:59and unmanned systems that can help it defend itself more effectively, including anti-ship

08:04missiles, mobile air defenses and sea mines.

08:07And that's where the drone hellscape comes in, with unmanned systems potentially holding

08:12the most value and potential to shift the conflict in Taiwan's favor, when the time

08:16finally comes, allowing it to emulate Ukraine's David vs. Goliath approach to its own war with

08:21Russia.

08:22There are, however, several challenges standing in Taipei's way.

08:26But before we dig into this, quick side note.

08:28The military show brings you the full picture, not just headlines.

08:32Hit subscribe to stay ahead of the curve.

08:36Taiwan is making the right moves.

08:38From 2022 onwards, through its Sea Air Combat Power Improvement Plan, it's made massive investments

08:45in the kinds of weapons and military equipment it will need to hold off a Chinese invasion.

08:49It's clearly serious about drone warfare too, with Mick Ryan, retired Australian Major General,

08:55who's extensively studied the military strategies of Ukraine and Taiwan, noting that Taipei has

09:00clearly realized that drones will be important in all the domains, in all the phases.

09:05Numerous American defense firms, such as General Atomics and Kratos, have been selling

09:09UAVs for Taipei, and are even in negotiations to begin co-production efforts to bolster the

09:15island's domestic defenses.

09:17Altius attack drones, also created by a US firm, Anduril, have also been seen being used

09:22in training exercises in Taiwan, and MQ-9C Guardian drones arrived in the region in June

09:27as well.

09:28But acquiring drones is just the first part of the puzzle.

09:31There are two more challenges to overcome before war breaks out, if Taiwan wants to make

09:36the best possible use of its expanding unmanned army.

09:39The first of those challenges is for Taiwan soldiers to learn how to work with drones efficiently.

09:45This is something that many military forces all over the world are working on at the moment.

09:49They've seen how powerful and influential drones can be on the battlefield due to the events

09:54of the Russia-Ukraine war, and they don't want to be left behind.

09:57Many are even reaching out directly to Ukrainian defense firms and tactical planners for advice

10:03and insights on how best to integrate unmanned vehicles into their operations, and what kinds

10:08of training regimes to establish to get their troops up to speed with these new technologies.

10:13Ukraine had to learn all this the hard way, under pressure, in a live conflict.

10:17Its armed forces had no choice, no respite, no breathing room.

10:21They simply had to figure out how drones worked and how to use them to disrupt their enemies'

10:25operations on the fly, while dealing with daily bombardments.

10:29Taiwan doesn't have that.

10:31On the one hand, that's a positive.

10:32It means that Taiwan's forces still have a certain level of freedom and a certain amount

10:37of time to educate themselves and improve their standards.

10:40On the other hand, it can also invite a degree of complacency.

10:44As Xu Xiaowong, an associate research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security

10:49Research in Taipei explained, it's very difficult because they haven't experienced the crucible

10:55of war.

10:56The army's frontline military operations must undergo a total change from the past.

11:00In the Russia-Ukraine war, if you fire one round, you won't have a chance to fire a second,

11:05if you just stay lined up there without moving on.

11:08Fortunately, Taiwan's tacticians appear eager to ensure that complacency doesn't set in.

11:13Indeed, during the country's Han Kuang annual military exercises, which were held in early

11:19August, soldiers were often seen working with unmanned systems of various kinds.

11:24The country's military invited reporters to observe this 10-day program of military exercises,

11:29with Major General Liu Wenyuan affirming that the country's armed forces are being trained

11:34not only on deploying drones, but combating them as well.

11:37A recent drill also involved units scrambling to defend islands off Taiwan's eastern coast

11:42by using drones to hunt down enemy forces.

11:45And during Han Kuang, the country's president, Lai Ching-tae, was on hand to observe another

11:50exercise involving troops testing two types of prototype strike drones.

11:55On top of all of this, Taiwan has also established its own literal combat command, aimed at integrating

12:00drones, artillery and mobile missiles into a vast coastal shield, defending the island against

12:05the Chinese threat.

12:06These are all steps in the right direction, but there's still some way to go before Taiwan

12:11can be ranked alongside Ukraine as a true champion of drone warfare.

12:15Stacey Petty-John, senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security and the author of

12:21a recent study of Taiwan's Drone Warfare Strategy, has urged the country's tacticians to not get

12:26too focused on the technology more than the equally essential organizational and doctrinal

12:31changes that are needed to implement a hellscape concept.

12:34In other words, Taiwan needs to find the right balance between investing in new technologies

12:39and procuring vast amounts of drones, while also adjusting its military practices to use

12:44them as effectively and intelligently as possible.

12:47Only then will it be in a position where it can achieve its aims of making China's amphibious

12:51assault as costly as possible, and making Beijing work for every single inch of progress

12:56across the Taiwan Strait.

12:58Now, the second big challenge Taiwan needs to address in the coming months is making

13:02sure it has enough stockpiles of drones, plus the ability to make many more by the time

13:07the invasion begins.

13:08Why?

13:09Because if and when China does invade, a big part of Beijing's strategy will likely revolve

13:14around isolating Taiwan as quickly as possible.

13:17The PLA will want to blockade the island, sealing off access so that no external support can enter.

13:23That means that Taiwan may not be able to rely on America and other allies sending shipments

13:28of their own drones or other military equipment to help the island defend itself.

13:32In effect, Taiwan could be in a situation where it has only itself to rely on.

13:36And if that happens, it's going to need huge amounts of drones that are ready to take

13:40to the air and water right away, as well as drone production facilities that are ready

13:45and waiting to roll thousands more of the production lines in the days and weeks to follow.

13:49Thankfully, as mentioned earlier, Taiwan's leadership has already identified these two

13:54issues as top priorities.

13:56Indeed, both sides of the country's political landscape are in absolute agreement regarding

14:01the need to make more drones as rapidly as possible.

14:04Sure, political friction recently led to a record 260-day budget deadlock, but the cabinet

14:10countered by pushing through a $6.6 billion six-year special budget, specifically to safeguard

14:16domestic drone procurement.

14:18What matters is that the drones get made.

14:20And that's already happening.

14:22Taiwanese manufacturers like Thunder Tiger are already steaming ahead in designing and developing

14:27new models to help the country achieve its military ambitions.

14:30US firms like Shield AI are also playing an active role in assisting them.

14:35Taiwan is also selling increasing amounts of drones each year, as it aims to make itself

14:39a major player in the sector and bring much-needed funds into the island's defense sector.

14:43In the first three months of 2026 alone, for example, Taiwan exported a whopping $115 million

14:50worth of drones, that's more than it managed in the whole of 2025.

14:55Many of these drones have been sold to the Czech Republic, but some have also ended up in

14:59places like Poland and even Ukraine.

15:01Taiwan is also increasing its exports of drone components too, like motors and optical equipment,

15:07as it positions itself as more a trustworthy and dependable alternative to China, for democratic

15:12states wishing to invest in drone technology without sending their money straight to Beijing.

15:17As Michael Robbins, president of the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International explains,

15:22Taiwan sits at the center of one of the most important industrial and strategic competitions

15:27of our time.

15:28It's one of the few places positioned to produce trusted drone components at scale.

15:33In other words, everything is already in place for Taiwan to become a leader in drone

15:37development, production and warfare.

15:39It just needs to continue down the path it's already following, accelerating and enhancing

15:44the ideas and initiatives that are already in place in order to get itself ready for whatever

15:48comes next.

15:49It may be far smaller than its opponent, but Taiwan has many advantages.

15:54It has strong infrastructure, an incredible technology sector, powerful allies around the

15:59world and even geography on its side.

16:01The fact that it's an island makes it much harder to invade than a place like Ukraine,

16:06for example.

16:07And it's one of the biggest reasons why China hasn't attacked already.

16:10Beijing has had to spend time and massive amounts of money building the world's biggest

16:14navy and developing its various missile programs to create a force that's actually capable of

16:19pulling off what would be one of the toughest amphibious assaults in modern military history.

16:24Thankfully, it still doesn't appear ready to invade just yet.

16:27And that means that Taiwan still has time to ramp up its drone production, train its unmanned

16:33systems operators and put the pieces of hellscape in place.

16:36If it can achieve all that, there's every chance that Taipei can emulate Kyiv and pull off a David

16:42versus Goliath victory for the ages.

16:44And Taiwan's growing mastery of drone warfare isn't the only thing Xi Jinping needs to worry

16:49about.

16:50China also needs to contend with the full fury of the American military machine, which grows

16:54stronger by the day, which you can learn about in this video.

16:58Alternatively, for more military news from the Far East, check out this video, which looks

17:02at how North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un may have acquired unprecedented leverage over his

17:07Chinese counterpart.

17:09And finally, don't forget to subscribe to The Military Show for more breaking news and insightful

17:13analysis of the latest big military stories from around the world.

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