Taipei: Taiwan has significantly advanced its defense collaboration with the United States by jointly testing a new jet-powered attack drone designed to strengthen the island’s deterrence against growing military pressure from neighbouring China. The milestone reflects Taipei’s expanding efforts to integrate cutting-edge unmanned systems into its strategy for asymmetric warfare.
In a recent campaign at the Oklahoma City facilities of U.S. defense contractor Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, engineers from both sides successfully validated the integration of a Taiwanese-provided mission payload onto the Mighty Hornet IV attack drone, according to a statement from Kratos. This achievement marks an important step toward a deeper defense partnership and sets the stage for further joint development and potential production scaling.
Kratos officials described the test as a “milestone” that could pave the way for broader cooperation with Taiwan’s premier military research organization, the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST). NCSIST officials said the collaboration could significantly shorten development timelines, enabling Taipei to field large numbers of affordable, effective systems capable of long-range strikes and rapid response missions.
The Mighty Hornet IV is being developed as an attack drone with characteristics resembling a low-cost cruise missile a design philosophy aimed at generating a high-volume fleet rather than a small number of extremely expensive platforms. Taiwanese officials have highlighted this approach as central to their defense doctrine, which prioritizes attritable, massed systems that can complicate and deter any potential offensive campaign by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
This development arrives against the backdrop of sustained increases in Chinese military activity near Taiwan. According to Taiwan’s Defense Minister, Chinese air force sorties including fighter jets and drones operating close to Taiwanese airspace increased by about 23% in 2025 compared with the previous year. Beijing’s regular patrols and exercises around the island are part of what Taipei terms “grey zone” tactics, which fall short of outright conflict but aim to exert pressure and test Taiwan’s readiness.
Taipei has responded by strengthening ties with Washington and diversifying its defense procurement. In late 2025, the United States initiated its largest ever arms package for Taiwan a proposed $11.1 billion deal that includes advanced missiles, rocket systems and unmanned aerial assets underscoring U.S. commitment under the Taiwan Relations Act to help Taipei sustain a credible self-defense capability.
Taiwan itself is pursuing a wide-ranging defense modernization strategy, which includes an ambitious plan to acquire tens of thousands of drones over the next few years while also investing in domestic unmanned systems production. Lawmakers in Taipei have approved funding for both civil and military unmanned platforms, signaling recognition that UAV technologies are central to future combat scenarios.
The collaboration with Kratos also has important political reverberations. China views any Taiwan-U.S. military cooperation especially involving potentially offensive systems as a challenge to its sovereignty claims and has repeatedly criticized such moves. Beijing has not publicly responded to the latest drone project, but prior sanctions on U.S. defense firms over arms sales to Taiwan indicate the sensitivity of such engagements.
Inside Taiwan, defense policy remains a subject of domestic debate. President Lai Ching-te has pressed for a substantial supplementary defense budget to accelerate the procurement of advanced weapons and platforms, but opposition parties controlling the legislature have raised questions about cost and scope. Defense officials argue that investment in asymmetrical capabilities, such as massed drone fleets and precision strike systems, will act as a deterrent and help preserve peace by making any attempt at coercion prohibitively costly for an adversary.
Analysts say unmanned systems are fast becoming a central pillar of Taiwan’s defense concept, drawing lessons from recent conflicts from Ukraine to the Middle East where drones have reshaped battlefield dynamics. By combining foreign technology with domestic innovation, Taipei aims to build a robust, layered defense architecture capable of deterring aggression and sustaining prolonged resistance if necessary.
The successful test with Kratos is expected to lead to further joint work later this year, including potential flight tests of the integrated drone system and discussions on how to bring production capabilities to Taiwan, according to Kratos’ statement.