The US’ approval of the sale of exploding drones, also known as loitering munitions, to Taiwan would significantly enhance the army’s precision-strike capabilities, military experts said yesterday.
The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency on Tuesday said the US Department of Defense approved the sale of 720 sets of the AeroVironment Switchblade 300 loitering munition systems for an estimated US$60.2 million, and 291 ALTIUS 600M-V drone systems and related equipment for an estimated US$300 million.
Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the state-run Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the drones would enable to Taiwan to augment its asymmetrical warfare capabilities, especially as the US drones are combat-tested.
Photo: CNA
A soldier could carry a Switchblade drone and deploy it within two minutes, Su said.
The munition could remain airborne for more than 20 minutes and target soft targets, such as vehicles, personnel or open-canopy landing craft, he said.
The Altius 600M-V is nimble, and strategically and tactically flexible, capable of being launched from land, sea or air platforms, he said, adding that its payload is modular and can consist of different designs or devices based on mission objectives.
The 600M-V can remain airborne for up to four hours and can be reclaimed later, he said.
Shu Hsiao-huang (舒孝煌), who is also a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the drones can readily be used for asymmetric warfare as they do not rely on command systems for guidance.
They could also be used as command relays for ground units and increase ranged precision-strike capabilities, Shu said.
The sale, and subsequent training at US bases, would give the Taiwanese military greater familiarity with similar weapon systems, he said.
Chen Kuo-ming (陳國銘), editor-in-chief of the Chinese-language Defence International magazine, said the Switchblade 300 would give the army precision-strike capabilities.
The army currently relies on mortars to hit ranged targets, but they are single-shot, and their accuracy depends on the gunner, Chen said.
In contrast, the Switchblade is much more approachable and can even be operated by civilians after some training, making it a suitable defense platform should enemy forces establish a beachhead in Taiwan and reservists are called into action, he said.
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