DEFENSE/Taiwan Army set to follow U.S. in listing drones as consumables

Taipei, Aug. 17 (CNA) Taiwan's military is planning to re-categorize military drones as "consumables/munitions" instead of as airplanes, as they used to be, to speed up the procurement process, the Army confirmed to CNA on Sunday.

The Army Command Headquarters told CNA that the decision was made because drones, like munitions, need to be rapidly replaced, and thus should be categorized as consumables/munitions "to meet the Army's practical needs."

The headquarters' confirmation came after the Chinese-language Liberty Times reported early Sunday that Taiwan's Army is about to make the classification change based on the example of the United States, which is Taiwan's biggest arms provider.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a new drone policy in July that will treat some types of smaller uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) as "consumables," not durable property, as they are more akin to hand grenades and other kinds of ammunition than aircraft.

Lower-level commanders will now also be able to procure smaller UASs directly, as well as authorize subordinates to operate them, according to the U.S. plan.

An unnamed source was quoted by the Liberty Times as saying that, by listing UAS as munitions, Taiwan's military will significantly streamline the required procurement process and make it faster for the military to receive drones and put them into use.

According to a memo on the U.S. policy change released by Hegseth, Group 1 and Group 2 UASs will now be "accounted for as consumable commodities, not durable property."

The Pentagon defines Group 1 drones as ones that weigh up to 20 pounds, can fly up to an altitude of 1,200 feet, and can reach speeds of up to 100 knots.

Group 2, meanwhile, includes types with gross weights between 21 and 55 pounds, that can get up to an altitude of 3,500 feet, and hit top speeds of up to 250 knots, according to U.S. media reports.

Asked to comment on the Army's latest policy change, Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a division director at the military-funded Institute for National Defense and Security Research, told CNA on Sunday it would speed up and make drone procurement more flexible for Taiwan's armed forces.

It would also allow the military to work closely with private drone makers and have a large number of drones produced faster to meet the need for drones in modern warfare.

The plan also shows Taiwan's armed forces are now changing their mindset and are becoming more open to cooperation with the private sector, Su said.

Taiwan needs as many drones as possible, he said, citing the example of the Russian-Ukraine war.

Su said Ukraine is now making three million drones a year to defend itself against Russia, knowing that smaller drones only have a penetration rate of 10 percent, meaning that only 10 percent of them reach their designated targets.

That is why Taiwan needs to boost its drone production capabilities as soon as possible to defend a potential Chinese invasion from the sea and from ashore, he said.