Defense ministry reveals FPV drone development project

Taipei, Sept. 22 (CNA) The Ministry of National Defense (MND) on Sunday confirmed that a recent promotional video showed footage of a first-person view (FPV) drone system being developed by the Armaments Bureau.

On Aug. 15, the MND's Military News Agency released video footage of soldiers using laptops and remote controls to launch small, explosive-laden drones, which detonated on striking a car and speedboat being used as targets.

In a social media post on Sunday, the MND confirmed that the video showed a "multi-function FPV drone system" currently being developed by the Armaments Bureau.

In addition to the FPV drone program, the military also plans to purchase 3,422 domestically-produced micro drones in six different models between 2024 and 2028, as well as two types of counter-drone systems with 976 missiles between 2024 and 2026, the MND said.

FPV drones are piloted from the drone's point of view via an onboard camera, footage from which is transmitted to the pilot's monitor screen or video goggles.