[Politics] Executive Yuan Proposes NT$210 Billion Unmanned Vehicle Special Statute, Procuring 3 Items to Enhance Asymmetric Combat Power
bella@@ 央廣 新聞3h ago
The Executive Yuan meeting today (18th) approved the draft "National Defense Autonomous Unmanned Vehicle Procurement Special Statute." It plans to allocate NT$210 billion through a special budget to procure coastal surveillance drones, coastal attack drones, and small suicide unmanned boats. The goal is to enhance unmanned vehicle combat capabilities by leveraging the characteristics of "concentrated resources and stable scale," adopting principles of long-term contracts and iterative updates, thereby maintaining the military's deterrent asymmetric combat power. #Reported by Radio Taiwan International (RTI) correspondent Cheng Yu-han#
The Executive Yuan had previously proposed an 8-year, NT$1.25 trillion National Defense Special Statute. However, the version passed by the Legislative Yuan only allocated a budget ceiling of NT$780 billion and excluded commercial purchases and commissioned manufacturing, resulting in a significant reduction in the drone-related budget.
The Executive Yuan meeting on the 18th approved the draft "National Defense Autonomous Unmanned Vehicle Procurement Special Statute" proposed by the Ministry of National Defense, which will be forwarded to the Legislative Yuan for review. According to the draft, from August 1, 2026, to December 31, 2031, a special budget of up to NT$210 billion will be allocated for the procurement of defense-autonomous unmanned vehicles to build asymmetric combat capabilities, while simultaneously driving the domestic drone industry and the non-Red supply chain development. The financial sources for the relevant budget can be covered by previous years' fiscal surpluses or by borrowing. The statute can be extended with the consent of the Legislative Yuan after its term expires.
Major General Huang Wen-chi, Director of the Department of Strategic Planning of the Ministry of National Defense, stated that the NT$210 billion special budget will be entirely used for procurement, excluding research and development items. Specifically, 1,446 coastal surveillance drones are planned for procurement. The coastal attack drones, including immersive, bomb-dropping, and short/long-range suicide drone types, total 208,200 units. Additionally, 1,320 small suicide unmanned boats will be procured, with quantities consistent with the previously planned NT$1.25 trillion National Defense Special Statute.
Huang Wen-chi explained that the unmanned vehicle research and development within the previous NT$1.25 trillion special budget, such as the "Ruiyuan II," belongs to medium-to-large unmanned aircraft systems and differs in purpose from the small surveillance and attack drones being procured in this instance. These will be planned for separately.
Regarding the development of counter-drone capabilities, Huang Wen-chi pointed out that based on the experience of the Russia-Ukraine war, drones and counter-drone systems must be developed synchronously and iteratively to effectively enhance combat capabilities. Therefore, the originally planned C-type anti-drone jamming system has a high correlation with the current unmanned vehicle force build-up. Its procurement will be evaluated later through supplementary budgets or regular government budgets. The Ministry of National Defense will continue to gather the latest development information from various countries as a reference for future force build-up planning. He said: "(Original sound) In the Russia-Ukraine war, the reason Ukraine was able to grow so rapidly was their accumulated experience in the combined use of counter-drone systems and drone systems. Using the concept of iteration, in fact, it is through the continuous mutual growth between offense and defense that they were able to achieve rapid progress. Therefore, regarding the C-type unmanned countermeasure system, we will continue to review and allocate funds through supplementary budgets or the 2027 regular budget."
Spokesperson for the Executive Yuan, Li Hui-chih, relayed the directives of Premier Cho Jung-tai, stating that the originally proposed NT$1.25 trillion National Defense Special Budget covered three major aspects: building the "Shield of Taiwan," introducing high technology and industrial chains, and promoting the defense self-sufficiency industry. However, the version passed by the Legislative Yuan completely excluded plans for commercial purchases, commissioned manufacturing, and joint R&D procurement cooperation with the United States, creating a combat capability gap.
Cho Jung-tai emphasized that in addition to building the military's combat power, the unmanned vehicle industry encompasses areas such as vehicle manufacturing, battery systems, optoelectronic sensors, artificial intelligence, communication equipment, software development, and maintenance. It is expected to drive investment and job opportunities in the future, promote the development of the non-Red supply chain, strengthen the independent production and maintenance capabilities of key components, and continuously achieve the dual goals of national defense security and industrial development. (Editor: Song Wan-yuan)
Further Reading
Executive Yuan to Approve NT$210 Billion Unmanned Vehicle Special Statute for Drone and Unmanned Boat Procurement
Executive Yuan to Propose Drone Special Statute; KMT Advocates Annual Budget, DPP Calls for Rational Discussion
Source Link: https://www.rti.org.tw/news?uid=3&pid=215256
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