Taiwan · China · Pentagon · Anduril · Ars Technica
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense proposed a special budget that would spend $6.6 billion over six years on buying drones
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That would be a significant boost to the Taiwanese military arsenal that currently includes 5,000 US-made attack drones and domestically produced drones, according to Resilience Media.
Key facts
- Taiwan has already exported $115 million of fully assembled drones between January and March 2026, exceeding the $93 million in total drone exports for the entire year of 2025, according to Taiwan
- In March 2026, Thunder Tiger even expanded its overseas supply chain by establishing a US facility in Ohio capable of producing more than 60,000 drone motors each year, said Gene Su, general manager
- Thunder Tiger has also started producing larger kamikaze drones starting at $30,000 based on the US LUCAS one-way attack drones, Rest of World reported
- For example, Thunder Tiger has been supplying drone components to three companies participating in the US Department of Defense’s $1 billion Drone Dominance Program, according to DSET
Summary
Taiwan’s existence as a self-governing democracy may depend heavily on having enough military drones to discourage any attempted invasion by China’s military. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense proposed a special budget that would spend $6.6 billion over six years on buying drones made in Taiwan, according to the Central News Agency that represents the national news service of Taiwan. Beyond bolstering Taiwan’s national defense, Taiwanese government spending on domestically produced drones could provide a critical boost to Taiwanese drone manufacturers. Taiwan has already exported $115 million of fully assembled drones between January and March 2026, exceeding the $93 million in total drone exports for the entire year of 2025, according to Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai in an announcement on April 30.