China-Taiwan Drone War 26 US Companies Hold ‘Anti-Drone’ Meeting in Taiwan

China-Taiwan Drone War 26 US Companies Hold ‘Anti-Drone’ Meeting in Taiwan

As China and Taiwan shift from conventional amphibious warfare to drone warfare, the ‘anti-drone’ industry is rapidly emerging in the battle between neighboring countries, and US companies held a closed meeting in Taiwan on the 24th.
The US International Trade Administration held a closed meeting of the anti-drone industry in Taiwan, and the several-day discussion brought together more than 20 US companies that make drones and anti-drone technology, as well as Taiwanese companies seeking US knowledge and customers, the New York Times reported on the 25th.

The US Department of Commerce and the Department of Defense invited 26 US UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) and anti-UAV system manufacturers to hold the AIT (United States Institute in Taiwan) for Taiwan’s UAV industry at the Grand Hyatt Taipei from the 24th. Taiwanese media outlet <Tai Sounds> reported on the 24th in an article titled <Strictly Preventing Unknown Persons from Entering AIT to Hold Private Negotiation Meeting for Taiwan-US Drone Industry> that <Taiwan UAV/anti-UAV industry leaders officially established the "Taiwan Excellent UAV Overseas Business Opportunity Alliance" on the 23rd, and today, key members attended this key meeting, but because the content is related to the military field, it is also the key to entering the "red supply chain" of US UAVs, so it will not be disclosed in interviews, and entry by "unknown persons" is strictly prohibited, and confidentiality work is strict>. <Thai Sound> continued, <Minister of National Defense Guli-hsiung (高立酋) confirmed to the press at a tea party last week that the US Department of Commerce led a 26-member drone and counter-drone industry delegation to visit Taiwan, and the delegation arrived in Taiwan on the 22nd and immediately began a series of inspection activities>, and <On the morning of the 24th, the "Taiwan Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and Counter-UAS (C-UAS) Business Development Mission" hosted by the business group of the US Institute in Taiwan held a meeting with Taiwanese manufacturers, inviting representatives of major Taiwanese UAV/ADV system and component manufacturers to discuss how to carry out practical cooperation projects, and it is understood that representatives of the US military were also in attendance to share with manufacturers their actual experience in UAV and anti-drone missions from the perspective of end users, thereby promoting further technological improvement and production cooperation>.

The meeting elected Hu Kaihong, chairman of Hanshang Company, as the chairman of the “Taiwan Excellent UAV Overseas Business Opportunity Association” on the 23rd, and Chairman Hu guided and presided over the meeting on the 24th, and strictly enforced the identity verification procedure for entry and exit.

<Thai> media reported that “Taiwan’s unmanned aircraft system (UAS) and countermeasure (C-UAS) industry technology and products include military reconnaissance and operations and countermeasure requirements provided to the US Department of Defense,” and “in particular, the Ministry of Defense is building a very important asymmetrical combat force “Replicator” as soon as possible to defeat the Chinese Communist Party’s powerful navy and air force to defend the Taiwan Strait and the First Island Chain. AIT held the event with the end users (End) on the 24th at the Grand Hyatt Taipei Hotel (B2B) 3rd floor banquet hall.”

<Tai> continued, “Users are not disclosed to the media, and there is a ‘NO PRESS’ sign at the entrance check-in counter,” and “AIT has prepared ID cards for registrants at the conference in order to control the entry of unknown persons, and has clearly notified the manufacturers in advance that those who have not registered (those who do not have ID cards for identity verification) will not be allowed to enter the conference hall,” revealing the method of participant control.
Major drone manufacturers such as Shenyao Technology, Air Asia, Thunder Tiger Technology, Coretronic Intelligent Robot, Jingwei Aerospace, Evergreen Aerospace, and Jiashida Group attended the conference.
On the 22nd, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense disclosed the number of drones purchased on Facebook and announced that it had established a multi-functional unmanned aerial system development project for the “first-person view (FPV) unmanned aerial vehicle.” Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense announced on Facebook that Taiwan will purchase 3,422 ultra-small UAVs (6) from 2024 to 2028, and 2 attack UAV missile systems (2) from 2024 to 2026, for a total of 976 units.

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said that it hopes to purchase about 1,000 air-to-ground munitions through the X platform to enhance precision strike and anti-armor capabilities, and achieve high value-added goals for over-the-horizon destruction. Taiwan's <Tai Sound> reported on the 22nd that the Munitions Administration is establishing a multi-functional unmanned aerial system development project for a "first-person view (FPV) drone", and the research and development results were displayed to the Chinese people at the defense exhibition last year (2023), and that it will continue to make continuous efforts for national security in the future.

The New York Times reported on the 25th that “Taiwanese officials hope that Taiwan can play a bigger role in the drone supply chain for the United States and its allies, reflecting Taiwan’s success in producing advanced semiconductors,” and that “U.S. officials hope to reduce America’s dependence on Chinese drones and components by leveraging Taiwan’s manufacturing strengths, and both sides are drawing on lessons learned from the Ukrainian battlefield and other war zones where drones have become crucial for enhancing attacks and monitoring enemy forces.” Regarding Chinese drones, Taiwanese officials said that “Chinese military drones are increasingly common in the skies near Taiwan and are circling the main island of Taiwan,” and that “China dominates commercial drone sales in the United States and most of the world, led by DJI, which has a 70% share of the global drone market, and DJI drones are equally popular among Taiwanese consumers, despite the strained political relationship between Taiwan and China.” “DJI drones are best thought of as Huawei with wings,” Craig Singleton, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, said in a recent presentation. “Through the economy of indiscriminate borrowing, China has created a Chinese champion who now dominates the market.”
The New York Times said, “China’s market dominance makes it difficult for Taiwanese drone companies to grow large enough to remain viable during a lull in military orders,” and “More U.S. orders in the commercial and defense sectors could help overcome this.”
“We understand the importance of supporting Taiwan’s UAE industry, and we believe the partnership can be structured in a way that benefits both sides,” René Carbone Bardorf, vice president of marketing and communications for AeroVironment, a U.S. trade mission, said in a statement that day.

The U.S. State Department has approved the sale of up to 720 Switchblade drones to AeroVironment in Taiwan in June.
A U.S. State Department press release dated June 18 stated, “The TAIPEI Economic and Cultural Office to Taiwan Economic and Cultural Representative Office has issued an authorization for the Foreign Military Sale of Switchblade 300 anti-personnel and anti-armor loitering missile systems and related equipment, valued at $60.2 million,” and “The Defense Security Cooperation Agency today delivered the required certifications notifying Congress of this possible sale. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office to the U.S. (TECRO) has requested the purchase of 720 Switchblade 300 (SB300) All Up Rounds (AURs) (including 35 fly-to-buy AURs) and 101 SB300 Fire Control Systems (FCS).” The United States produces most military drones through defense contractors and manages them as controlled items.

The U.S. delegation to the Taiwan meeting included representatives from Northrop Grumman, the largest military equipment supplier, and companies that provide underwater drones, drone detection equipment, and other unmanned aerial vehicle innovations, and U.S. Department of Defense officials accompanied the delegation, the Times reported.
The press office of the American Institute in Taiwan, the Washington embassy in Taipei, said in a statement about the meeting that “industrial cooperation between the U.S. and Taiwan is critical to developing supply chain security for the full range of technologies.”