Ukraine-Russia conflict drives demand, Taiwan's drone exports surge
AFP, Taipei, 26th — Amid the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war, global demand for drones has surged. Taiwanese companies are rushing to enter the global market: drone exports in the first four months of this year have increased nearly 20-fold compared to the same period last year, with ambitions to reach a monthly production capacity of 100,000 units by 2030.
As international conflicts intensify, countries are increasing defense spending, fueling strong demand for low-cost drones used for reconnaissance and strike missions.
In the increasingly competitive global drone industry, Taiwan is a relative newcomer striving to become an "Asian hub" for drone and related component manufacturing—producing entire drones without any components sourced from mainland China, thus fully integrating into a "non-mainland Chinese supply chain."
This means Taiwan’s drones may cost more than three times as much as those of their mainland Chinese competitors. However, with the full-scale outbreak of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, demand from both countries has skyrocketed, significantly boosting Taiwan’s drone sales.
Although Taiwan is attempting to develop its domestic drone industry, the opposition-controlled Legislative Yuan has delayed budget approvals, causing government procurement to fall behind. Meanwhile, China’s recent imposition of export controls on drones has created new opportunities for Taiwanese manufacturers that previously struggled to secure sufficient sales volume.
Official data shows that Taiwan exported 181,159 drones in the first four months of this year—a near 20-fold increase compared to the same period in 2025—and already surpassed last year’s total annual output. The vast majority were sold to the Czech Republic, followed by Poland.
Taiwan is a global center for artificial intelligence (AI) technology and semiconductor chip manufacturing, and it aims to leverage this expertise in the drone industry. Its target is to boost monthly drone production capacity to 100,000 units by 2030—significantly raising the previous goal of 15,000 units per month by 2028.
Ukraine has now become one of the world’s most advanced drone manufacturing hubs. Once the Russia-Ukraine war ends, Ukraine may no longer need drones from Taiwan—and could even flood the market with domestically produced drones.
Collin Koh, military expert at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said competition is “extremely intense” and rapidly escalating, emphasizing that “Taiwan must find its own niche market.”
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1866243434310656/
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