US think tank urges Taiwan to support domestic drone firms with orders

美國智庫敦促台灣向本土無人機企業提供訂單支持

Researcher Sunny Cheung says insufficient orders could hinder Taiwan’s drone sector growth


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Sunny Cheung (張崑陽), a researcher at the US think tank Jamestown Foundation, said that large-scale orders from the Taiwan government would help support the expansion of domestic drone companies.

The foundation held a press conference Monday in Washington, D.C. to discuss defense technology and Taiwan’s defense resilience. Among those who attended the event were Hsiao Sun-wen (蕭舜文), director of the DPP's mission in the US, and Yeh Chieh-ting (葉介庭), director of US Taiwan Watch, per CNA.

In May, Cheung visited the Taiwan Pavilion at the Xponential exhibition in Houston. She praised Taiwan's capabilities in drone research, development, and manufacturing. However, she noted that the Taiwanese and US drone industries are facing weak market demand.

Cheung said that countries not engaged in warfare still need to maintain a strategic drone reserve. She emphasized that governments should increase investment in local drone companies to prevent falling behind Chinese competitors.

The drone component supply chain is largely dominated by China. Cheung praised Taiwanese companies for their efforts to build a China-free supply chain. She stressed that the US must work with Taiwan to establish a secure and reliable supply network for drones.

The National Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology announced Monday that it is partnering with Taiwanese defense companies to advance drone technology.

The institute said it developed key components for tube-launched drones, including launch canisters, folding wings, and composite airframes. The agency is opening these technologies for licensing and transfer to industry players. It added that the initiative aims to boost private-sector participation and strengthen Taiwan's domestic drone supply chain.

At a meeting hosted by the Special Competitive Studies Project in April, Cheung said Taiwan's military drone development should focus on intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities, electronic warfare, and strike capabilities.

Cheung added that while Taiwan has strong design and manufacturing capabilities for drones, it still relies heavily on foreign suppliers for critical systems such as flight control and encrypted communications.

Cheung suggested that Taiwan set a monthly production target of 15,000 drones by 2028. She also recommended strengthening US-Taiwan cooperation, particularly in combat platform development, streamlining technology transfer, and securing key components.