Taiwan military official denies delay in delivery of MQ-9Bs

Taipei, March 15 (CNA) A Taiwan defense official said Sunday that the delivery of the first two of four SkyGuardian drones Taipei purchased from the United States is set to take place in the second half of this year in accordance with the original schedule.

The unnamed Ministry of National Defense (MND) official added that the required ground control stations to remotely pilot the advanced drones are currently being built in preparation for their arrival.

The Air Force and Taiwan's defense mission in Washington, D.C., have also been in close contact with the U.S. side to ensure delivery will be on time, the official said.

The MND official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

The comments were made following a news report last week that delivery of the first two MQ-9B drones has been delayed due to the war in the Middle East.

In response, Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) questioned the credibility of the report when asked to comment on the issue on March 10 on the sidelines of a legislative session in Taipei.

"I don't know where that news came from," Koo said, adding that no weapons deliveries have so far been affected by the conflict in the Middle East.

Taiwan has ordered four MQ-9B surveillance drones from the United States. The delivery timeline has been set for 2026 and 2027 in two batches of two each.

In a 2020 statement announcing the sale, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the MQ-9Bs would provide Taiwan with "intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, target acquisition, and counter-land, counter-sea, and anti-submarine strike capabilities."

Hsieh Pei-shiue (謝沛學), an assistant research fellow at the MND-funded think tank Institute for National Defense and Security Research, wrote in 2020 that the drone is capable of linking with satellite communications shared among U.S. allies.

This means Taiwan and its U.S. counterparts could instantly share battlefield intelligence, providing opportunities for the two sides to cooperate during a conflict.

For instance, should cross-strait conflict break out, Washington could take advantage of anti-ship missile systems deployed along the first island chain to prevent Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) vessels from sailing into waters east of Taiwan to blockade the nation, Hsieh said.

MQ-9Bs are capable of long-term, long-range surveillance, meaning the drones could fly near Chinese vessels to provide critical intelligence for the U.S. to target them, Hsieh wrote in his article at the time.