Taiwan and the US have agreed in principle that the island can buy a large quantity of US-made attack drones, Bloomberg has reported citing informed sources.
Taiwan could reportedly get up to 1,000 UAVs from US firms AeroVironment Inc. and Anduril Industries Inc. in accordance with deals that are expected to be signed “soon.”
The attack drones in question should help Taiwan with “blunting a potential Chinese assault on the island democracy,” the agency said in an article on Tuesday.
Washington and Taipei signed a “letter of offer and acceptance” in late September, the report read. The document is the final step before the agreeing of actual contracts, in which the quantities of drones, their prices and delivery deadlines will be outlined, it explained.
Bloomberg stressed that drones have “burgeoned into a major component of modern warfare” as they are being actively used by both sides in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery, a senior director with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, who traveled to Taiwan to assess its defense needs, told the outlet that the agreement shows “that both Taiwan and the US are learning important lessons from the combat in Ukraine, and turning that knowledge into future procurement.”
A US State Department spokesperson, Taiwan’s office in Washington, and the US-Taiwan Business Council declined to comment when asked about the drone deal by Bloomberg.
In June, the State Department notified Congress that it had approved the sale of Anduril ALTIUS 600M-V drones and AeroVironment Switchblade 300 “B” model UAVs to Taiwan for $360 million.
Officially, the US is committed to the One China policy, stating that Taiwan, which has been self-governed since 1949 but never officially declared independence from Beijing, is an integral part of Chinese territory.
However, Washington has maintained contacts with the authorities in Taipei, sold weapons and military equipment to the island and promised to defend Taiwan militarily in the event of an attack from the mainland.
China has vigorously opposed cooperation between the US and Taiwan, which it views as an infringement of its sovereignty and meddling in its internal affairs.
The stated goal of the Chinese government is “peaceful reunification,” but it has said it would use force should Taipei formally declare independence. In that event, Beijing says the Chinese military will act against outside interference and what it terms a small minority of secessionists.
The report comes amid the intensification of Chinese military exercises around Taiwan following the inauguration of the island’s new president, Lai Ching-te, whom Beijing has described as a “dangerous separatist.”