[Politics] Executive Yuan Proposes NT$210 Billion Unmanned Vehicle Special Statute, Procuring 3 Items to Enhance Asymmetric Combat Power
bellala 央廣5h ago
The Executive Yuan meeting today (18th) approved the "National Defense Autonomous Unmanned Vehicle Procurement Special Statute" draft, planning to allocate NT$210 billion through a special budget to procure coastal surveillance drones, coastal attack drones, and small suicide unmanned boats. The aim is to enhance unmanned vehicle combat capabilities through "concentrated resources and stable scale," adopting long-term contracts and iterative updates, thereby maintaining the military's deterrent asymmetric combat power. #CNA Reporter Cheng Yu-han reporting#
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 maximum budget of NT$780 billion and excluded commercial purchases and commissioned manufacturing, leading to a significant reduction in the drone-related budget.
The Executive Yuan meeting on the 18th approved the "National Defense Autonomous Unmanned Vehicle Procurement Special Statute" draft proposed by the Ministry of National Defense, which will be sent 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 national defense autonomous unmanned vehicles to build asymmetric combat capabilities, while simultaneously promoting the domestic drone industry and the non-Red supply chain. The financial sources for the budget can be from previous years' fiscal surpluses or debt issuance. The statute can be extended with the consent of the Legislative Yuan after its expiry.
Major General Huang Wen-chi, Director of the War College Planning Department 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 include four types, such as immersive, bomb-dropping, and short/long-range suicide drones, with a total planned procurement of 208,200 units. Additionally, 1,320 small suicide unmanned boats will be procured, with quantities consistent with the previous NT$1.25 trillion National Defense Special Statute plan.
Huang Wen-chi explained that the unmanned vehicle R&D items within the previous NT$1.25 trillion special budget, such as the "Ruiyuan II," are medium to large unmanned aerial systems and differ 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, drone and counter-drone systems must be developed and iterated simultaneously to effectively enhance combat capabilities. Therefore, the planned procurement of the "C-type" counter-drone jamming system is highly relevant to the current unmanned vehicle force buildup. The Ministry of National Defense will subsequently evaluate allocating funds through supplementary budgets or the general budget, and will continue to gather the latest development information from various countries as a reference for future force buildup planning. He said: "(Original sound) In the Russia-Ukraine war, the reason Ukraine was able to grow so rapidly was their accumulation of continuous 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 counter-drone system, we will continue to review and allocate funds through supplementary budgets or the general budget for fiscal year 116."
Executive Yuan Spokesperson 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 national defense autonomous industry. However, the version passed by the Legislative Yuan completely excluded commercial purchases, commissioned manufacturing, and joint R&D procurement cooperation plans with the US, creating a combat capability gap.
Cho Jung-tai emphasized that in addition to building the military's combat capabilities, 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 independent production and maintenance capabilities for key components, and continuously achieve the dual goals of national defense security and industrial development. (Editor: Song Wan-yuan)
Further Reading
Another Push for Drone and Unmanned Boat Procurement: Executive Yuan to Approve NT$210 Billion Unmanned Vehicle Special Statute
Executive Yuan to Propose Drone Special Statute: KMT Advocates for Annual Budget, DPP Hopes for Rational Discussion
Source Link: https://www.rti.org.tw/news?uid=3&pid=215256
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