Taiwan buys three years of support for MQ-9B drones

Taiwan is paying General Atomics Aeronautical Systems $38.8 million to keep its new MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones flying, under a contractor logistics support deal that runs through August 2029, the U.S. Department of War said. The award, announced on Oct. 15 in the Pentagon’s daily contract list and signed on Oct. 1, covers sustainment services and contractor logistics support for Taiwan’s MQ-9B fleet. Contractor logistics support means the manufacturer handles much of the maintenance, spare parts supply and technical support for the aircraft instead of relying entirely on the operator’s own maintenance system. Taiwan is covering the full cost through the Foreign Military Sales program, and all of the money was obligated at signing. The U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, which manages the sale for Taipei, awarded the contract to General Atomics on a sole-source basis, with the work to be performed at the company’s facility in Poway, California. Taiwan has ordered four MQ-9Bs, a medium-altitude, long-endurance drone developed from the Reaper that can stay airborne for more than 40 hours. The State Department approved the sale in 2020. The U.S. government then signed a $217.6 million contract for the first two aircraft in May 2023 and a $250 million contract for the final two in March 2024, with two ground control stations included across the deals, Defense News reported. The first two drones were handed over to the Republic of China Air Force at a ceremony in the United States on March 17, 2026, attended by Taiwanese Vice Defense Minister Hsu Szu-chien. The aircraft were to stay in the U.S. for several months of testing, and Taiwan’s air force chief of staff said they were scheduled to arrive on the island in the third quarter of 2026. The remaining two are due in 2027. Taipei plans to use the drones for long-range surveillance and reconnaissance around the island, where Chinese military aircraft and ships operate almost daily. Analysts have said the MQ-9Bs could take over some patrol missions now flown by Taiwan’s fighter jets and its aging P-3 maritime patrol aircraft, and help locate targets for Taiwan’s anti-ship missiles. The drones will join a fast-growing Taiwanese unmanned fleet. The Ministry of National Defense announced plans in July 2025 to buy nearly 49,000 drones of five types for about NT$50 billion ($1.56 billion), alongside locally developed systems from the state-run National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology. Under the new contract, General Atomics will support Taiwan’s MQ-9B operations through Aug. 31, 2029.