CHRISTCHURCH, Recent Zealand — Taiwan’s plan to field 4 MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones has advanced because of a second contract awarded to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems.
The island nation’s purchase comes as its own efforts to field the same domestically developed platform falter.
The U.S. Defense Department signed the $250 million cope with General Atomics for the ultimate two MQ-9Bs on March 11 through the federal government’s Foreign Military Sales program.
The award followed an initial contract dated May 1, 2023. That $217.6 million deal promised the delivery of two aircraft by May 2025. Nonetheless, a U.A. Air Force spokesperson told Defense News the primary two drones will arrive in 2026 and the ultimate pair in 2027.
The spokesperson clarified that this contract motion was “re-announced because they broke the contract into two separate actions, each for 2 MQ-9s.”
Taiwan will even receive two ground control stations as a part of the agreements.
The U.S. government had approved this sale in November 2020, stating that MQ-9s would give Taiwan “intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), goal acquisition, and counter-land, counter-sea and anti-submarine strike capabilities.”
These drones could take over some missions performed by Taiwan’s fighter fleet that’s already busy monitoring Chinese military activities in the encompassing airspace and sea. Beijing considers the island nation a rogue province and has threatened to take it back by force.
“It’s a vital ISR platform for the Taiwan military, giving them a cutting-edge platform to enhance their ability to watch China’s gray zone activities. In a time of war, the MQ-9 may also be utilized in hunter-killer roles,” Rupert Hammond-Chambers, president of the US-Taiwan Business Council, told Defense News.
The arrival of those SkyGuardians is especially vital, given Taiwan’s Teng Yun medium-altitude, long-endurance drone, currently under development by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, is encountering difficulties. In January, Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported the Teng Yun 2 had “not passed its combat readiness testing phase, with initial results finding there was still room for improvement.”
Taiwan defense analyst Chen Kuo-ming said the Teng Yun has made insufficient progress since its 2015 unveiling. “Previously yr there have been numerous tests. Nonetheless, I’m fearful concerning the Teng Yun because its progress, compared with Chinese UAVs, is so slow,” the expert noted.
Nevertheless, he was optimistic this system would eventually succeed.
The Teng Yun 2 received a more powerful American-made engine in addition to an enhanced configuration and flight control system. Taiwan’s military began testing it in March 2023, but further improvements must happen before the Air Force can consider fielding it.
Taiwan’s MQ-9Bs are expected to hold the WESCAM MX-20 multispectral targeting system and RTX’s SeaVue maritime multirole radar. Nonetheless, Chen said it’s unlikely the U.S. will give Taiwan permission to arm its MQ-9Bs.
Hammond-Chambers said these American-built drones should improve interoperability with allies, noting he expects Taiwan will “procure more MQ-9s in the longer term as they construct out the variety of platforms available. 4 is a start and can allow for training, infrastructure and experience to be garnered. In a permissive D.C. arms sales environment, Taiwan should give you the option to acquire more.”
Gordon Arthur is an Asia correspondent for Defense News. After a 20-year stint working in Hong Kong, he now resides in Recent Zealand. He has attended military exercises and defense exhibitions in about 20 countries across the Asia-Pacific region.