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Taiwan: To purchase over 1,000 US drones
– Switchblade to be delivered to Taiwan by 2025
– 720 Switchblade 300s, 291 Altius 600Ms
Summary from the article published in the evening edition of Fuji Newspaper.
US government approves sale:
On June 18, the US approved the sale of over 1,000 small drones to Taiwan.
Taiwan government expresses gratitude:
Chinese military intimidation is growing across the Taiwan Strait.
1. Taiwan expressed gratitude, saying it will be able to ‘quickly respond to enemy threats.’
2. China will likely have a hard time dealing with suicide drones in the future.
Suicide drone “Switchblade”:
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced the sale to Taiwan.
1. 720 “Switchblade 300s” and
2. 291 “Altius 600M”.
Including related equipment, the total amount is more than 360 million dollars (57 billion yen).
Both are unmanned weapons that can be used for both reconnaissance and attack purposes.
“Switchblade 300”:
Currently in use in Ukraine. It has also proven effective against Russian aggression.
“Altius 600M”:
It is slightly larger in size and can be equipped with target search equipment and warheads.
US Indo-Pacific Command: Commander Samuel Paparo
On June 10, Commander Paparo answered an interview with the Washington Post.
If China invades Taiwan, we will retaliate with the Hellscape strategy of unmanned weapons.
US suicide drone:
1. It has real-time detection and attack capabilities and can respond quickly to enemy threats.
2. It will stop China’s military operations in Taiwan and jointly contribute to regional stability.
Survey by US think tank:
The amount of weapons the US has decided to sell to Taiwan is enormous.
More than $19.6 billion (approximately 3 trillion yen) is still undelivered.
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/35b3e7589fad96291a6210385fa44dbc0bb30f21
US State Department: Switchblade to be delivered to Taiwan by 2025
Summary from article published in Focus Taiwan.
Taiwan’s State Department Political and Military Affairs Bureau: Covered by Central News Agency
On June 19, it was announced that the delivery will take place between 2024 and 2025.
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US-Taiwan Business Association: Chairman Hammond Chambers
A US non-profit organization aims to promote trade relations with Taiwan.
He expressed the view that there are no production capacity issues regarding the delivery schedule.
Drone sales
1. Taiwan emphasized that it can significantly increase its advanced weapons.
2. This will allow them to strike back at Chinese military forces approaching Taiwan’s coastline.
In the unlikely event of a clash, they will have enough ammunition to continue fighting.