Taiwan ramps up development of anti-drone systems as PLA security threats grow

Eight mainland Chinese drones have been identified as crossing the median line in one week, as Beijing increases the frequency of such missions

Military experts say there is an urgent need for Taiwan to strengthen counter-drone measures to deal with a potential cross-strait conflict

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Military experts have said Taiwan needs to urgently address its anti-UAV systems as the PLA increases its drone presence around the island. Photo: Handout

Published: 3:00pm, 3 Sep 2023

Taiwan is ramping up its efforts to develop anti-drone systems amid concerns about the growing security threats to the island from the People’s Liberation Army’s unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).

But experts have warned that Taipei must accelerate its pace, as the PLA has intensified its surveillance operations and attack drones around Taiwan, including encirclement of the island.

The PLA has amassed a large number of military UAVs. In one week in August, at least eight PLA long-range UAVs, including six BZK-005 reconnaissance and two TB-001 combat drones, crossed the de facto median line separating the self-ruled island and the mainland in the Taiwan Strait and entered the Taiwanese air defence identification zone (ADIZ).

One BZK-005 was reported on Tuesday by the island’s defence ministry to have looped around the eastern side of Taiwan, flying clockwise from north to south. Another BZK-005 was reported the previous day looping around the east and southeast of the island, apparently joining a PLA H-6K bomber in a mission in the West Pacific.

Last Saturday, three PLA drones crossed the median line, with a BZK-005 flying along the island’s west coast in a clockwise direction to the east and southeast coast, as a TB-001 made a similar flight. Both UAVs joined a Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft in a mission in the West Pacific before returning to the mainland on the original path.

A CH-4 combat-reconnaissance drone was spotted entering Taiwan’s southwest ADIZ on the same day, with its path overlapping that of a PLA transport plane and an early warning aircraft, according to the ministry.