6 January 2026

Ukraine as a Model, a Warning, and a Partner for Taiwan’s Drone Industry

Samara Duerr

Today’s warfare is marked by rapid innovation in unmanned systems – and extremely high consequences for falling behind. Pioneering this shift, Ukraine’s expertise in strategic drone deployment, high-speed technological advancements, and mass scaling of UAV manufacturing redefine the logic of modern warfare.

Deriving battlefield truths from Ukraine’s circumstances, Taiwan – as another geopolitical flashpoint – strives to synthesize Ukraine’s drone-related tactics into its own asymmetric military operations. Alongside this, increasing geopolitical pressure has prompted Taiwan to accelerate efforts in building an autonomous drone supply chain. According to statistics from Taiwan’s Ministry of Finance, from January to October 2025, Taiwan’s drone exports totaled US$54.75 million, a significant increase of 11.4 times compared with US$4.41 million for the entire year of 2024.

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