How will Taiwan distribute 280 V-BAT drones? Military reveals coastal combat command will receive the largest share

Taiwan’s planned purchase of 280 U.S.-made V-BAT vertical-takeoff drones is not primarily a warship program. Details in the defense budget indicate that the largest share will go to the Coastal Combat Command, creating a combined land, navy and Coast Guard reconnaissance and maritime-strike network.

The navy plans to allocate NT$36 billion from this year through 2029 for the four-year purchase, known as the Yuan Xiao project. The standard tactical arrangement pairs two drones with one control system, so the full program includes 140 control systems.

Taiwan has 34 principal warships: 22 first-class ships, comprising four Kee Lung-class, 10 Cheng Kung-class, six Kang Ding-class and two Chi Yang-class vessels, plus 12 Tuo Chiang-class missile corvettes. At one control system and two drones per ship, the naval fleet would require only 34 systems and 68 drones. That leaves 106 systems and 212 drones for other users.

The budget lists 82 transport vehicles, which the report identifies as equipment for the Coastal Combat Command’s ground forces and training personnel. Warships already serve as mobile platforms and do not need such land transporters. The drones are expected to operate alongside Hsiung Feng and Harpoon missile vehicles and mobile radar units. If radar stations are destroyed during a conflict, ground units could launch the drones themselves to scout and identify maritime targets, forming an independent land-based targeting chain.

The Coast Guard is also expected to acquire six systems and 12 V-BAT drones through a separate budget. The drones would normally deploy from large Coast Guard ships for law-enforcement and long-range patrols. If war broke out, they could shift into the navy’s command structure. Their vertical-takeoff capability allows operations from confined ship decks and rough field positions without runways or capture nets. The report says the V-BAT can remain airborne for more than 13 hours, has a control range exceeding 130 kilometers and can operate independently when GPS signals are disrupted.