Taiwan’s drone defence debate heats up as opposition pushes rival plan

https://media.thenextweb.com/2026/05/Taiwan-flag.avif

The opposition KMT is proposing NT$240bn for unmanned systems just days after stalling the government’s plan, in a fight with real implications for the island’s defence.

Few militaries have watched the war in Ukraine more closely than Taiwan’s, and the lesson it has drawn is that cheap, mass-produced drones can blunt a far larger force. Turning that lesson into a budget has proved harder.

Taiwan’s main opposition party has now outlined its own plan to build up the island’s drone industry, just days after stalling a similar proposal from President Lai Ching-te’s government, leaving the policy that matters caught in the gap between two rival bills.

The Kuomintang says it will submit legislation that could allocate NT$240 billion, around $7.5 billion, over six years for the procurement and industrial development of unmanned systems.

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