The Ministry of National Defense (MND) in Taipei confirmed on 25 August that it has deployed an undisclosed number of Albatross (Ruo Ying) multirole tactical unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to the Taiwan-controlled islands of Dongsha (Prata) Taiping (Itu Aba) in the South China Sea, according to local media reports.
The decision, which comes amid heightened tensions between Taiwan and mainland China, was made in accordance with Taipei’s South China Sea policy and is aimed at improving the Coast Guard Administration’s capabilities on the islands, MND spokesperson Shih Shun-wen was quoted by the Taiwan News newspaper as saying.
An Albatross tactical UAV, seen here in its original army camouflage scheme, prior to the type’s transfer to naval service in September 2017. The MND in Tapei confirmed on 25 August that an undisclosed number of these UAVs has been stationed at the Taiwan-controlled Dongsha (Prata) and Taiping (Itu Aba) islands. (Taiwanese MND)
Taiwanese media had previously reported that the UAVs were deployed to the area to enable the military to respond to unexpected situations more quickly and expand its reconnaissance capabilities. The spokesperson confirmed that Taipei was sending the locally designed and produced UAVs to the islands – both of which are also claimed by China – but warned the public “not to overspeculate”, according to the CNA media outlet.
The move comes after Taiwan’s military announced on 17 May that the entire fleet of Albatross UAVs in service with the Republic of China Navy (RoCN) would be upgraded to improve the type’s mechanical reliability and operational safety.
As Janes reported at the time, the announcement followed at least eight recorded incidents involving the platform between 2016 and mid-2019, including the complete loss of one of the UAVs in the waters off the southeastern county of Taitung in January 2019.
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