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Taiwan’s army gets a boost in battlefield reconnaissance

21st November 2022 - 02:34 GMT | by Charles Au in Taipei

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This picture shows the Tactical Short-Range Unmanned Aerial Reconnaissance Vehicle of the NCSIST in flight. (Photo: Taiwan MND)

Inspired by Ukraine, Taiwan is going all out to introduce new indigenously manufactured UAVs.

Taiwan’s National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) confirmed that the first 14 production rotary-winged UAVs had been handed over to a joint Republic of China Army (ROCA) combined-arms battalion.

Called the Tactical Short-Range Unmanned Aerial Reconnaissance Vehicle, the UAV will help rectify the ROCA’s decades-old weakness of battlefield reconnaissance.

The ROCA spent NT$779.989 million ($24.8 million) to purchase 50 units, comprising 100 aircraft and ground control systems. The UAV has a 30km range and 60-minute endurance.

A nose-mounted 4K colour camera provides real-time reconnaissance and surveillance for ground forces. The NCSIST will train some 110 UAV operators, and

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