Taiwan will buy four unmanned aircraft from the US

At the end of August, the Taiwanese Ministry of Defence signed an agreement for the purchase of four General Atomics MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones, which are to increase the capabilities of the air force in the field of marine surveillance and reconnaissance.

Taiwan officially signed an agreement with the US to purchase four unmanned aircraft MQ-9B SeaGuardian for 16.88 billion NT$ (i.e. approximately USD 555 million). The contract entered into force on August 24 and will continue until the end of 2029, with the first drone to reach Taiwan in 2025. Price 16.88 billion NT$ includes four SeaGardian, and support equipment and systems related to the ground control station.

The total cost of drones will ultimately be 21.7 billion NT$ (US$713 million) and additional costs will concern the construction of related systems in Taiwan, new buildings for ground control stations, education and training in auxiliary equipment and technical support. The new BSP will be stationed in Hualien.

Unmanned HALE (High Altitude – Long Endurance) will work with BSP Teng Yun 2 CloudRider, which was developed by the Taiwanese National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST). This combination of the two systems is intended to make the long-term capabilities of the air force in terms of surveillance and reconnaissance in surrounding waters Taiwan will be greatly improved.

SeaGuardian has an autonomy of over 18 hours and can conduct an eight-hour patrol within a radius of 1,200 nautical miles. The key element of his mission set is Leonardo radar Seaspray 7500E V2 AESA with a reversed synthetic aperture that can detect surface targets, including water units, submarine periscopes and humans during search and rescue operations.

Written by TDW