Taiwan aims for 100,000 drones a month by 2030

The Story in Brief

Taiwan plans to produce 100,000 drones per month by 2030, with half intended for export, according to The New York Times. The strategy, described by US military commanders as a 'hellscape', uses drones, missiles and artillery to detect and attack Chinese forces before they land. Taipei has proposed spending $6.5 billion over five years on drones and countermeasures, but opposition parties controlling the legislature rejected the plan, approving a smaller $24.82 billion special defence budget instead. Taiwan's military has already started incorporating drone tactics, releasing images of a drill where units used drones to search for enemy forces off the east coast. The island aims to develop a domestic drone industry to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers, partly because China could blockade Taiwan in a conflict. Experts caution that acquiring drones alone is not enough; Taiwan must also overhaul training, mobility, intelligence-sharing and anti-jamming capabilities.