According to Bloomberg, Taiwan is finalizing a purchase of up to 1,000 attack drones from U.S. defense contractor AeroVironment and defense technology company Anduril Industries. The offer letter was signed at the end of September and the Defense Ministry confirmed on Tuesday that final contracts are expected to be signed soon.
Military officials wishing to remain anonymous indicated that when the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) of the U.S. Department of Defense notifies Congress, it announces the types and quantities of equipment being supplied. However, due to security concerns, further details could not be disclosed.
The U.S. first announced the sale of two attack drone systems to Taiwan in June, including 720 Switchblade 300 loitering munitions systems worth USD$60.2 million, in addition to about 291 ALTIUS 600M-V drones and related equipment worth approximately USD$100 million. Both systems are kamikaze drones that have been used effectively in combat in Ukraine.
This transaction marks the 15th arms sale to Taiwan during U.S. President Joe Biden’s term.