The Ministry of National Defense says officers in Kinmen’s Erdan Island followed the relevant procedures in response to a drone intrusion earlier this month. The ministry has confirmed that a Chinese civilian drone had approached a sentinel station on the island on Aug. 16. Amid concerns that drone intrusions could become more commonplace in the future, experts say Taiwan must make good use of anti-drone systems, which are due to be installed next year. The systems will allow Taiwan’s military to identify potential threats, as well as launch response mechanisms adapted to a wide variety of situations.
A Chinese drone approaches a sentinel station on Erdan Island. Soldiers throw stones at it to drive it away. Before leaving, the drone captured a high-definition photo of two of the soldiers.
The Kinmen Defense Command on Wednesday confirmed that a civilian drone had approached the area on Aug. 16. It said that the soldiers on duty had carried out identification and response measures and reported the sighting, while the soldiers off duty spontaneously decided to throw stones at the drone. The officers involved had abided by the principle of “preparing for war without starting a war” and had avoided escalating the incident and causing conflict while taking any necessary precautions.
In a press release on Wednesday, the Ministry of National Defense said that after Taiwan’s drone defense system is installed next year, defense operations in outlying islands will have priority for its usage to respond to gray-zone threats.
The drone defense system was developed by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology. The remotely-operated system has optoelectronic, surveillance and interference functions.
Hsu Chih-hsiang
Institute for National Defense and Security Research
The drone spotted in Kinmen was likely a small multi-axis camera drone. When countering unmanned systems, there are many considerations and approaches, ranging from soft kills and interference to hard kills. By the time we can see drones with our bare eyes, it is too late. You have to construct a surveillance system that can detect drones before launching interference operations and countermeasures.
Taiwan recently inaugurated a drone research and development center in Chiayi, aimed at establishing a national team with expertise in unmanned aerial vehicles. A DPP lawmaker recently pointed out that although Taiwan’s government does not utilize China-made drones, it is difficult to control whether members of the public use Chinese drones. He says that the back-end of the drone systems should be kept in Taiwan, so that data is not sent to China, giving rise to security concerns.
Hsu Chih-hsiang
Institute for National Defense and Security Research
Some countries buy Chinese drones and adjust them, but they don’t say how.
The U.S. Special Forces, like the U.S. Navy SEALs, and Germany’s army have purchased drones from Da Jiang Innovations for training. They won’t use them in actual battle scenarios, but it’s to see how their adversaries could potentially use these drones. Then, you can learn how to counter them. The drones are modified to remove components that could give rise to information security concerns. They can be used as targets, and to familiarize troops with equipment that the enemy might use.
As technology advances, warfare, too, changes. And as drones become more ubiquitous, Taiwan’s military must figure out how to effectively deal with a growing threat.
