Taiwan is expanding domestic drone production and integrating unmanned systems into its defense to counter China’s growing drone advantage and potential aggression.

Drones are viewed as a core part of Taiwan’s deterrence, with emphasis on autonomy and domestic manufacturing to reduce supply chain risks and enhance combat resilience.

Taiwan aims to build a self-reliant drone supply chain and scale production to up to 180,000 drones per year by 2028, up from about 10,000 units annually in 2024.

Officials aim to bolster drone capabilities and supply chains to be ready for possible coercive moves by China, potentially as soon as the late 2020s.

U.S. initiatives and lessons from the Russia-Ukraine war are shaping Taiwan’s drone and unmanned systems development strategy.

The Ukraine conflict is cited as a benchmark for drone warfare, underscoring the need for Taiwan to field shorter-range, rapidly deployable drones suited to its geography.

Programs like the Pentagon’s Replicator influence Taiwan to pursue faster acquisitions and scalable drone production processes.

Experts note China’s potential conditions-based invasion planning and stress the importance of enhancing U.S.-Taiwan defense cooperation and tech sharing to deter aggression.