Overview
- The Kuomintang submitted legislation on Tuesday proposing NT$240 billion (US$7.5 billion) over six years to fund drone procurement and build a domestic unmanned-systems industry through the regular annual budget.
- The KMT plan rejects the Cabinet’s NT$210 billion special-budget model and requires lawmakers be notified of any individual drone purchase above NT$100 million to boost transparency.
- The proposal mandates at least 50% domestic sourcing of drone components within two years and more than 80% within four years to push local industry growth and supply-chain resilience.
- The ruling DPP warned the annual-budget route could politicize procurement and create uncertainty for companies that need long-term purchase commitments to invest and scale production.
- Legislators sent competing bills to committee review this week and the final funding path remains undecided, with the outcome set to determine how fast Taiwan can expand unmanned capabilities and which firms win orders.