Taiwan’s future in the sky: How student-designed drones could strengthen national defence

A silent revolution is emerging in the grassy fields of southwest Taiwan. Young engineers, many of whom are still in school, came together to test drones that they have been designing and developing for months.

They gaze at the sky as these unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) take flight, occasionally soaring beautifully and other times plummeting back to the ground. However, every flight advances them towards a pressing objective: enhancing Taiwan’s defence capabilities with cutting-edge, domestically made technology.

Taiwan’s increasing drone investment is a strategic need rather than just a technological endeavour. Taiwan is considering drones as a crucial component of its defence strategy as tensions across the Taiwan Strait increase. Taiwan intends to implement drones after being inspired by Ukraine’s use of them to monitor and target targets in conflict areas.

The National Defence Application UAV Challenge, an annual competition currently in its second year, is at the centre of this initiative. Twenty teams from universities around the country competed in the contest, which was held in Chiayi County last month, to demonstrate that their drone designs could meet strict requirements.

In less than ten minutes, the drones had to fly to a minimum altitude of 60 meters, take pictures of distant objectives, and return to base. However, there was a twist: in order to simulate actual war situations when drones must manoeuvre through signal interference, organisers used a jammer to interfere with satellite transmissions.

“Modern conflicts have shown us the importance of UAVs and the risks of signal jamming,” explains Professor Jan Shau-Shiun, one of the event’s organisers and a space systems engineering expert at National Cheng Kung University. “We are preparing Taiwan for the reality of what future warfare might look like.”

For the students, this competition is as intense as it is inspirational. Take Cheng Yong-jen, a 24-year-old graduate student from National Formosa University. After countless hours of work, he watched his team’s drone ascend smoothly, only to crash, repair, and crash again. But perseverance paid off; when the drone finally completed its mission, Cheng felt a rush of relief and pride. “Seeing it land safely, I was almost in tears,” he recalls.

Lead judge Lin Chun-Liang, an electrical engineering professor at National Chung Hsing University, believes this hands-on experience is crucial. “These students gain skills here they’d never pick up in the classroom,” he says.

Meanwhile, Taiwan’s government is dedicated to developing this expertise and has spent hundreds of millions on the creation of domestic drones. President Lai Ching-te has even promised to establish Taiwan as Asia’s premier centre for UAV development and manufacturing.

However, Taiwan’s growing semiconductor industry, which frequently entices young tech talent with better compensation, presents a hurdle. Cheng, however, is resolute. With his thesis on defence drones nearly finished, he plans to join a drone company, determined to contribute to Taiwan’s defence. “We can’t afford to be left behind,” he says. “This is the path we must take to secure our future.”

As the competition advances and Taiwan’s drone technology grows, these young innovators aren’t just flying drones; they’re charting a course for Taiwan’s defence and sovereignty, one takeoff at a time.