Taiwan's Altius-600M Drone Achieves 100% Hit Rate in First Maritime Live-Fire Exercise

Taiwan's military has successfully conducted live-fire exercises involving the Altius-600M drone and Javelin missiles during the two-day "Sky Sword" drill, aimed at validating new weapon systems.

The first day of the drill saw the Altius-600M drone, acquired from the U.S. under the "Hawk Project," perform its inaugural maritime target strike. Soldiers from the Army's 21st Artillery Command's drone battalion executed the mission, completing aerial surveillance, target search, and engagement procedures. The drone achieved a 100% hit rate, demonstrating its precision strike capabilities in a realistic combat scenario.

Following the drone exercise, the anti-armor company of the Army's Lanyang Area Command conducted a Javelin missile live-fire drill. Shooters accurately hit a sea-based target vessel, showcasing their proficiency in operating the missile system and enhancing the military's anti-armor combat effectiveness.

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The Altius-600M drone has characteristics such as long endurance, real-time reconnaissance, and precision strike capabilities, which can perform surveillance, target indication, and attack missions according to battlefield needs, effectively enhancing the unit's battlefield awareness and precision strike capabilities.

The Altius-600M drone, produced by Anduril, is designed for extended loiter time, real-time reconnaissance, and precision targeting. Taiwan has received all deliveries of the initial batch by March 2026. Future acquisitions include the next-generation Altius-700M and Altius-600ISR drones, funded by a recent NT$780 billion defense special budget.

Military officials stated that these exercises are crucial for validating troop integration and operational readiness. By employing live troops, equipment, and munitions, the drills ensure soldiers are familiar with their weapons and combat missions, ultimately strengthening Taiwan's overall defense capabilities and national security.

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Live firing of new weapons is an important part of verifying the unit's integration results. From receiving equipment, training, live firing to operational plan verification, all training objectives are achieved according to schedule.