The navy and Coast Guard Administration will buy MQ-35A V-BAT vertical takeoff and landing surveillance drones from US firm Shield AI, the Taipei Times reported on October 18. The defense ministry said Taiwan could become the largest V-BAT operator outside the United States.
The Taipei Times reported that the navy and Coast Guard Administration will buy 292 V-BAT drones at an expected combined cost of NT$37.2 billion. The coast guard portion is 12 drones for NT$1.2 billion (US$37.1 million), which Shield AI said in an October 13 report have been delivered. The navy will buy 280 under a four-year program called Yuan Xiao for NT$36 billion, according to the defense ministry's fiscal 2027 report.
광고 문의 · 300×250Of the navy's 280 drones, 212 go to the Coastal Combat Command and Hsiung Feng anti-ship missile units, with 140 control systems and 82 ground transport vehicles included. The ministry said missile units could use the drones for reconnaissance and keep precision-strike capability while relocating or if their radars are destroyed. The navy said the aim is to keep operating if Chinese attacks disrupt Taiwan's command structure.
The paper noted the navy order alone exceeds the roughly 250 V-BAT drones Shield AI had sold to the US and NATO countries as of 2024. The US military and coast guard together are estimated to operate about 300, while the Netherlands, Armenia, Poland and others each fly several dozen. The navy pointed to the drone's record of 130 successful reconnaissance missions in Ukraine despite heavy Russian electronic interference.
On industry, Shield AI president Brandon Tseng said at an October 2 Taipei briefing that Taiwanese companies' share of V-BAT components is expected to rise from 16 percent to 25 percent, and Aerospace Industrial Development Corp will handle logistics, maintenance and training. The report gave no full delivery schedule.
The same report carried related defense news: two executives of drone supplier Jiin Ming Industry were detained over alleged use of prohibited China-made chips and camera lenses in drones delivered under military contracts. Only that much was confirmed. The page also noted a Chinese carrier group entering the western Pacific, though no direct link to the drone purchase was established.