Taiwan's military sets out a need for 1,320 one-way attack USVs and over 200,000 coastal attack drones, AFP reports, as US and Singaporean makers gather in Tainan

AFP reported on 4 November that Taiwan's military wants more than 1,400 coastal surveillance and reconnaissance drones, over 200,000 coastal attack drones and 1,320 one-way attack uncrewed surface vessels, with further spending expected this month on top of the NT$240 billion (US$7.4 billion) drone defence bill passed by the legislature. A marine technology and unmanned robotics expo in Tainan on 2 November drew US firms Maritime Tactical Systems and STR8 Industries and Singapore's BeeX, and the coast guard is to buy 25 USVs made in the US and Taiwan. Taiwan aims to be a production hub free of Chinese components, while analysts flag the difficulty of integrating systems without Starlink.