Major Taiwanese news network Liberty Times Network (LTN) recently reported that, Taiwan is not known for its arms exports, but it is rapidly emerging as a supplier of drones without Chinese parts. Taiwanese companies are accelerating the development of “non-red supply chain” drones, with exports growing more than 35 times in 2025, reaching approximately 123,000 units.
Taiwan has long been one of the world’s largest arms importers, with most of its weapons originating from the United States. However, while Taiwan is now capable of manufacturing a significant number of its own weapons, it remains highly dependent on US-made equipment.
However, the situation is changing. Taiwan is positioning itself as a supplier of “non-red supply chain” drones – drones without Chinese parts. These drones are targeted to sell in the United States, its allies, and other countries concerned about Chinese espionage and supply chain control. Taiwan’s drone production has increased more than twelvefold from approximately 10,000 units in 2024 to 2025. The Czech Republic is the largest buyer, followed by Poland. Most of these purchases ended up in Ukraine for use in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, providing valuable combat feedback on the drones’ performance. Exports are projected to reach a new high in 2026, with 85,500 units already exported in the first two months of this year.
Taiwan initiated this plan after observing the widespread use of drones in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The initial goal was to equip the Taiwanese military with such drones. Subsequently, Taiwan pledged to establish a drone industry completely free of Chinese parts by the end of 2026 and to reach an annual production capacity of 180,000 drones by 2028. The government also pledged last year to procure more than 200,000 drones for the military by 2033.
The United States and its allies are also accelerating the expansion of drone production. However, most of the drones still rely on Chinese parts. Currently China accounts for 70 percent to 80 percent of global drone production.
Source: LTN, March 14, 2026
https://ec.ltn.com.tw/article/breakingnews/5369841