Taiwan has taken a significant step toward reshaping its military deterrence by teaming up with U.S. defence firm Kratos to develop jet-powered attack drones designed for mass deployment. The collaboration, confirmed after successful testing in the United States, reflects Taipei’s growing urgency to counter China’s rising military pressure with weapons that are affordable, survivable and easy to replace.
Engineers from Taiwan’s National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology worked alongside Kratos at the company’s Oklahoma City facility to integrate a Taiwanese mission payload onto the Mighty Hornet IV, a low-cost, cruise missile-like unmanned aircraft. Both sides hailed the test as a milestone in bilateral defence cooperation.
Drones Over Prestige Weapons
The project fits neatly into Taiwan’s broader strategic shift away from a small number of high-end platforms toward large volumes of expendable systems. Faced with the reality of China’s overwhelming numerical advantage, Taiwanese planners have increasingly prioritised weapons that can saturate defences, complicate targeting and impose high costs on an invading force.
Kratos has described the Mighty Hornet IV as a system built for quantity rather than elegance. The aim is to field large numbers of drones capable of long-range strikes, reconnaissance and attritional attacks, turning Taiwan into a difficult and costly battlefield rather than a quick military prize.
Deepening U.S.–Taiwan Defence Ties
The drone effort also signals a qualitative shift in U.S.–Taiwan relations. Beyond arms sales, the two sides are now jointly developing and testing systems, shortening production timelines and tailoring weapons to Taiwan’s specific operational needs.
For Taipei, this cooperation offers speed and credibility. For Washington, it strengthens Taiwan’s ability to defend itself without committing U.S. forces directly, reinforcing deterrence while keeping escalation risks manageable.
China’s Pressure Campaign Intensifies
The timing is no accident. China has sharply increased its military activity around Taiwan, sending warplanes, drones and naval vessels into nearby airspace and waters almost daily. Taiwan’s defence ministry reports a 23% rise in detected Chinese aircraft operations in 2025, underscoring a sustained campaign of pressure designed to exhaust, intimidate and normalise the presence of Chinese forces near the island.
Beijing’s large-scale exercises in late December reinforced concerns that these “grey zone” tactics are not merely symbolic, but rehearsals for more coercive action.
Analysis
Taiwan’s embrace of attack drones reflects a sober recognition of its strategic reality. The era when deterrence rested on prestige platforms and symbolic firepower is fading. In its place is a logic of denial: making any attack so messy, prolonged and costly that Beijing hesitates.
What makes the Kratos partnership especially important is not the technology itself, but the philosophy behind it. Cheap drones invert China’s strengths. They turn numerical superiority into a liability and force Beijing to spend far more to neutralise systems that are designed to be lost.
This approach will not guarantee Taiwan’s security, but it shifts the equation. Instead of trying to match China weapon for weapon, Taiwan is betting on scale, resilience and speed. In a conflict defined by attrition and uncertainty, that may prove to be its most credible deterrent yet.
With information from Reuters.
