Taiwan plans to purchase nearly 50,000 indigenous drones by 2027

Taipei, July 23 (CNA) Taiwan's military plans to procure close to 50,000 drones over the next two years as part of efforts to boost its asymmetric warfare capabilities, according to a government tender notice.

According to the tender notice posted on the Government e-Procurement System, the defense ministry's Armaments Bureau aims to acquire a total of 48,750 drones in two phases -- 11,270 in 2026 and 37,480 in 2027.

The drones fall into five categories, marked Type A-Type E, including multi-rotor vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) and fixed-wing models, with maximum flight times ranging from 7 minutes to 2.5 hours.

According to the tender notice on the government's procurement website, the drones will be sourced domestically and must not contain any components made in China. Companies with Chinese capital or links to China are barred from bidding, the notice said.

The Armaments Bureau stressed that all drone assembly and component manufacturing must take place in Taiwan, and priority should be given to locally made parts.

The bureau plans to procure 7,500 Type A drones in 2026 and an additional 26,500 in 2027, a source with knowledge of the matter told CNA. These VTOL multi-rotor drones can carry payloads in excess of 2.5kg, have control and transmission ranges of more than 6 kilometers, and stay airborne for over 30 minutes when unloaded.

It plans to purchase 1,100 Type B drones, also with a multi-rotor design, in 2026 and another 3,200 in 2027. These have a range exceeding 25 kilometers and can fly for at least 60 minutes when fully loaded with optical and 10kg payloads, the source said.

The bureau plans to buy 970 Type C drones in 2026 and 2,980 in 2027. These are fixed-wing drones launched via catapult, with a modular design. They can transmit data up to 90km and operate for over two hours with a range of 180km while carrying optical systems and a 10kg payload, they said.

It plans to acquire 1,350 Type D drones in 2026 and 4,450 in 2027. These are also catapult-launched, modular fixed-wing drones and have a 30km range and 30-minute maximum flight time when fully loaded with a 2.5kg payload, according to the source.

The bureau plans to obtain 350 Type E drones in each of the two years. These are VTOL fixed-wing drones and can resist Beaufort scale 5 winds during takeoff and landing, have a 100km flight range, and can remain airborne for 2.5 hours, with an average speed above 80kph when carrying an optical payload, the source said.

The planned procurement comes amid rising military pressure from China, which often sends aircraft and warships over the Taiwan Strait median line.

Beijing has also held large-scale exercises around the country, prompting Taipei to step up domestic weapons production, international arms procurement, training reforms and improvements in overall combat readiness.