Taiwan to buy US-made drones with 160km range for anti-armor warfare

Taiwan's military is set to significantly bolster its anti-armor capabilities by acquiring over 2,000 U.S.-made ALTIUS series drones. The plan, spanning from 2026 to 2032, involves the procurement of 2,032 drones, with a particular emphasis on the ALTIUS-700M variant.

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The ALTIUS-700M has a maximum range of about 160 kilometers, can stay airborne for about 75 minutes, and carries a heavy warhead weighing 14 to 15 kilograms.

The ALTIUS-700M stands out due to its anti-armor capabilities and impressive specifications. It boasts a maximum range of approximately 160 kilometers, can stay airborne for about 75 minutes, and carries a heavy warhead weighing 14 to 15 kilograms. This allows it to destroy main battle tanks and fortified positions, far exceeding the range and capabilities of Taiwan's current inventory of Javelin, TOW, and Hellfire missiles.

This acquisition is designed to create a layered defense network. The ALTIUS system will work in conjunction with existing anti-armor weapons to form a "long, medium, and short" range fire net. The ALTIUS-600 reconnaissance drone will provide intelligence, followed by the ALTIUS-700M for long-range strikes against high-value targets like enemy tanks while they are still at sea or assembling for landing operations. If enemy forces breach the outer defenses, armored vehicles with TOW missiles, AH-64E Apache helicopters with Hellfire missiles, and ground troops with Javelin missiles will engage at medium and close ranges.

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Compared to the Javelin missile's warhead weight of 8.4 kg and range of 2.5 to 4.7 km, or the TOW 2B missile's 6.1 kg warhead and 4 km range, the ALTIUS-700M's strike distance and loiter capability are far superior.

However, the ALTIUS-700M is not without its limitations. Its relatively slow speed, around 100 to 150 kilometers per hour, makes it vulnerable to enemy air defense systems. Furthermore, its reliance on GPS navigation and data links could be a vulnerability in environments with high electromagnetic interference, potentially leading to signal jamming or deception risks. Despite these drawbacks, the drones are expected to play a crucial role in Taiwan's defense strategy.

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Compared to supersonic missiles, the ALTIUS-700M's flight speed is only about 100 to 150 kilometers per hour, and its survivability is relatively limited when facing enemy field air defense systems, close-in weapon systems, autocannons, or heavy machine guns.