Taiwan Tests First US-Made MQ-9B SkyGuardian Drones

The Government of the Republic of China began flight testing the first two of four MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones at Hualien Air Base in eastern Taiwan on September 13 and 14, 2026. The aircraft are designed to monitor People's Liberation Army activities and grey-zone operations in surrounding waters, providing intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, target acquisition, and strike capabilities against land, sea, and submarine targets.

The drones arrived in Kaohsiung by sea in June after being handed over to Taiwanese personnel in the United States on March 17. Following three months of preparation by the Taiwanese air force and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, the aircraft were assembled in a US military-certified hangar in Hualien.

The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency stated the MQ-9Bs will enhance Taiwan's ability to share battlefield intelligence instantly with the United States via shared satellite communications networks. While the drones can detect numerous targets, they require human operators for final visual identification, which limits detailed surveillance to a few targets at a time. The United States has agreed to deliver the remaining two drones by next year.