Taiwan's Army still on track for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle in 2011

The army has solved its problems in acquiring technology for an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, reports said yesterday. The news is expected to lead the Legislative Yuan to release a budget of NT$142.3 million, allowing the project to be completed in 2011. The budge freeze was caused by a military admission that its Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology was finding it difficult to purchase six types of technology vital to the development of the remotely piloted aircraft. As a result, it had been unable to use up the 2008 budget allotted for the project. In late April, the institute said it had won agreements for the supply of five types of technology and had succeeded in developing the fifth category by itself, according to a report from Army headquarters to the Legislature's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. The military blamed the delay in using the budget for its Institute in the slow approval of licenses to buy the technology and in the long time passing between order and delivery. The unmanned aircraft have been widely used in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to handle tasks that were deemed too dangerous for manned planes, including reconnaissance missions and bombings. Taiwan reportedly first started developing a UAV in 2002 which resulted in a test version. Past reports said the Army wanted to design a combat version able to carry early warning radar, air-to-surface missiles and cruise missiles. Taiwan has found it difficult to import military technology and weapons systems because of its tenuous diplomatic situation. Most other countries refuse to sell arms to Taiwan because of pressure and protests from China. Only the United States occasionally braces Beijing's ire as its Taiwan Relations Act stipulates it has to supply the island with defensive weapons.

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