Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te, on Friday inspected a live-fire exercise in Pingtung County in which attack drones were used for the first time alongside conventional weapons in a joint scenario. The three-day operation ended at the Jiupeng base in the south of the island.

The presidential office said units combined unmanned aircraft with domestically built Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missiles, Tien Kung III air-defence systems and US-bought HIMARS launchers. Lai told officers that “the coordinated use of unmanned vehicles with conventional weapons reflects the adaptation to modern warfare”.

The statement did not identify the drone types. Reuters notes that the images released show the missiles, not the unmanned aircraft. The president described the precision firings as a test of weapon effectiveness, not the announcement of a combat operation.

The drills coincide with preparations for a meeting next week in the United States between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, at which the island’s situation is due to be discussed. American military support and arms sales remain a sensitive point between Washington and Beijing.

China regards Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out using force. Authorities in Taipei reject Beijing’s sovereignty claims and say only the island’s people can decide their future. Lai said the armed forces are accelerating combat capability to show they can defend national sovereignty.

Defence Minister Wellington Koo attended the visit, as did Kuan Bi-ling, who heads the Ocean Affairs Council, the body that runs the Coast Guard. Taipei is trying to integrate the Coast Guard more closely into defence planning after a Coast Guard ship was fitted with anti-ship missiles during August’s annual war games.

A drill demonstrates a developing capability, not complete operational readiness. Effective drone integration depends on communications, training, logistics and protection against jamming. Taiwan’s military is due to continue firings next week, including with HIMARS systems.

Image: Hsiung Feng III missile at Chengkungling, 9 October 2011 / 玄史生 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. A display, not Friday’s Jiupeng firings. Cropped to 16:9.

Source consulted: Taiwan holds first joint drill using multiple attack drones in modernisation push | Reuters; Lai touts drone integration during Taiwan live-fire drills | Focus Taiwan.