The US and Taiwan plan to accelerate military drone cooperation in 2026 as Washington advances a large procurement program and Congress moves forward with legislation calling for joint development. The efforts are expected to create opportunities for Taiwanese manufacturers in key technologies, supply chains, and overseas markets, according to industry executives.
Taiwan and the US plan to procure nearly half a million military drones over the next two years, a rapid buildup that is driving manufacturers to expand production, localize components, and secure testing facilities. The surge in demand is emerging as a key test of whether the drone supply chain can scale fast enough to support large defense programs.
The US is accelerating efforts to rebuild a secure, China-free drone supply chain as Beijing's gains in unmanned aircraft technology and production put growing pressure on Washington's defense and law-enforcement agencies.
Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense has opened bidding for what officials say will be the country's largest military drone purchase yet, a five-model program covering 48,000 unmanned aircraft valued at up to NT$50 billion (approx. US$1.55 billion). The tender lays out technical requirements for drones to be delivered between 2026 and 2027 and signals the start of mass production for Taiwan's fast-growing defense UAV industry.
The US Department of Defense has awarded Hewlett Packard Enterprise a ten-year, US$931 million contract to build a hybrid cloud system that will support the Pentagon's expanding artificial intelligence and data processing needs. The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) will deploy HPE's GreenLake Private Cloud platform across multiple high-security military data centers to strengthen the department's classified computing capabilities.
Taiwan is accelerating efforts to transform Chiayi's Minsyong district into a national hub for drone research and manufacturing. The National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology expects the new Aerospace and UAV Industrial Park to welcome its first tenants in 2028 as the government positions unmanned systems as a critical growth industry.
