Taiwan expands its UAV inventory to meet future threats
The Albatross II from NCSIST is designed for maritime surveillance and reconnaissance missions. (Photo: Charles Au)
Taiwan is busy developing new types of UAVs to equip its armed forces.
Taiwan’s policy of developing autonomous systems has become more aggressive over the past two years, as evidenced by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) displaying five upgraded UAV platforms in Taichung this week.
One new UAV was the Albatross II, a larger version with a different appearance compared to the Albatross I. It will be tasked with maritime surveillance and reconnaissance missions thanks to its 300+km range and 16h endurance.
The Albatross II’s FLIR payload is mounted farther forward towards the nose, as the original belly position has been taken by what is believed to be
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