DEFENSE/Taiwan to receive U.S. SkyGuardian drones from 2026: Official

Washington, March 19 (CNA) Taiwan is scheduled to receive the first two MQ-9B "SkyGuardian" drones it purchased from the United States in 2026, and the other two in 2027, a U.S. Department of the Air Force spokesman said Tuesday.

The department spokesman confirmed the delivery schedule for the drones -- as part of a US$467 million deal that also includes two ground control systems, spare parts, and support equipment -- in an email to CNA.

The U. S. government originally approved the sale proposal in November 2020, and contracts for it were awarded to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. in May of last year and earlier this month.

In a 2020 statement on the sale, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said MQ-9B drones would provide Taiwan with "intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, target acquisition, and counter-land, counter-sea, and anti-submarine strike capabilities for its security and defense."

Eric Gomez, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, said that based on the DSCA arms sale notice, he believed Taiwan will actually be getting a model known as the SeaGuardian, which is a MQ-9B SkyGuardian equipped with different sensors to specialize in maritime surveillance and reconnaissance.

Regardless of which model it is, the MQ-9B can remain airborne for long periods and operate at a high altitude, making it well-suited for conducting wide-area, persistent reconnaissance," he said.

Gomez speculated that the MQ-9Bs will likely be used for peacetime air and sea surveillance and will help to take the burden off Taiwan's manned fighter aircraft when it comes to monitoring PLA activity around the island or responding to ADIZ incursions.

Although MQ-9Bs can be equipped with various weapon systems, the fact that it is not a stealth aircraft means that it can be more easily detected and shot down, especially if it is operating at a high altitude, Gomez said.

As such, the drones may "struggle to survive in a high-intensity conflict against a country like China with very strong air defense systems," he said, adding that in that scenario, Taiwan would be better off with smaller, less capable drones.