Taipei: Taiwan’s military has unveiled two newly developed drones and a wheeled tank featuring a 105 mm gun, underscoring the nation’s advancements in indigenous defense technology. The Military News Agency showcased these developments in a video, highlighting the country’s focus on enhancing its military capabilities through homegrown innovations.
According to Focus Taiwan, the two unmanned aerial vehicles, which include a bomb-dropping model and a fixed-wing loitering munition, were developed in collaboration between the Armaments Bureau’s 202nd Plant and private industry. Both systems focus on asymmetric warfare, emphasizing rapid assembly, mass production, cost-effectiveness, and operational efficiency.
The bomb-dropping drone employs a multirotor platform, enabling it to hover and release explosives over targets with precision. The loitering munition, on the other hand, is catapult-launched and detonates upon impact, offering a long-range strike capability. Video footage demonstrated the loitering munition’s effectiveness against a maritime target and the bomb-dropping drone’s payload deployment over a designated area.
Colonel Liao, involved in the drones’ research and development, stated that the versatility and stealthiness of drones are pivotal in combined reconnaissance and strike capabilities, marking a significant trend in military technology. The drones have completed full-system verification and are set for phased upgrades to align with evolving tactical needs.
In addition to the drones, Taiwan also introduced the D3 prototype of a wheeled tank, a collaborative effort between the Armaments Bureau and the state-run National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST). The tank features a 105 mm low-recoil gun with over a 2 km effective range and can penetrate 500 mm of armor. Design improvements include a reduced height and a refined turret.
The D3’s exterior is manufactured by the Armaments Bureau, while NCSIST developed the turret. The tank, which cost NT$290 million (US$9.67 million), is designed to withstand 30 mm armor-piercing rounds, reach speeds up to 100 kph, and has a cruising range of 500 km, facilitating rapid deployment across Taiwan’s road network. It also boasts an electrically controlled turret drive for enhanced firing precision and a hunter-killer capability akin to the M1A2T main battle tank.
The program also featured a tactical reconnaissance wheeled vehicle, currently undergoing tests. This vehicle can navigate steep slopes, vertical obstacles, and water crossings, and is equipped with a 12.7 mm remote-controlled weapon station, smoke grenade launchers, and an electro-optical reconnaissance system, designed to support various operational missions including ground search and security.