At the Cabinet's weekly meeting Thursday, Premier Cho Jung-tai received a Ministry of Economic Affairs briefing on the current state of the drone industry and the government's efforts to promote its development. The premier said that advances in AI and communications technologies have driven drone use beyond national defense and military applications, with rapid expansion into sectors such as commerce, agriculture, logistics and public safety. Noting Taiwan's strong foundation in information and communications technology (ICT) and its comprehensive manufacturing supply chains, the premier said the government is actively fostering the growth of the drone industry with the aim of establishing Taiwan as an Asia-Pacific hub for democratic drone supply chains.
Premier Cho added that Taiwan's drone industry reached a total output value of NT$12.9 billion (approximately US$408.8 million) in 2025, more than 2.5 times the previous year's output. In addition, exports of finished drone products totaled NT$2.95 billion (approx. US$93.5 million), marking a 21-fold increase year on year and underscoring the strong R&D, manufacturing and export capabilities of domestic firms. Amid growing global demand for non-red supply chains, Taiwan is well-positioned to expand into international markets and seize both domestic and export opportunities, with a target output of NT$40 billion (approx. US$1.3 billion) by 2030.
Premier Cho further highlighted that NT$44.2 billion (approx. NT$1.4 billion) will be invested from 2025 to 2030 to support the industry through four key strategies: expanding domestic and international demand, promoting technology development and global linkages, building industrial clusters and ecosystems, and enhancing regulatory frameworks for unmanned vehicles, such as Taiwan's recent authorization to certify drones under the U.S. Green UAS (Unmanned Aerial System) program.