Taiwan Discloses Procurement Quantities of ALTIUS 700M and 600ISR Drones for Asymmetric Defense
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Taiwan has confirmed plans to acquire 1,554 ALTIUS-700M loitering munitions and 478 ALTIUS-600ISR drones under a U.S. arms sales package notified in December 2025. The disclosure highlights Taipei’s shift toward large-scale, attritable drone forces designed to complicate and delay any cross-strait assault.
Taiwanese authorities disclosed on January 20, 2026, that the nation will acquire 1,554 ALTIUS-700M loitering munitions and 478 ALTIUS-600ISR systems, as confirmed by reports from Focus Taiwan and other local news agencies, within a major U.S. arms package approved in mid-December 2025. The disclosure, made in the context of domestic debate over a NT$1.25 trillion special defense budget covering the 2026–2033 period, provides rare quantitative insight into how Taipei intends to expand its stock of precision strike and reconnaissance drones. Beyond the figures themselves, the announcement sheds light on Taiwan’s evolving approach to asymmetric warfare, distributed firepower, and long-duration resilience in a potential cross-strait conflict.
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Taiwan has confirmed plans to acquire more than 2,000 ALTIUS loitering munitions and ISR drones in a major U.S. arms sale, underscoring a deliberate shift toward large-scale, attritable systems central to its asymmetric defense strategy (Picture Source: Anduril)
The confirmation of exact unit numbers represents a significant departure from the usual opacity surrounding U.S. Foreign Military Sales. When the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of the ALTIUS sale in December 2025, the case was valued at an estimated US$1.1 billion but did not publicly specify quantities. Those details have now emerged through Taiwan’s internal budget process, placing the ALTIUS acquisition among the most substantial loitering-munition orders disclosed in the region. The figures are tied to the special defense budget proposal currently under review by the Legislative Yuan, meaning they reflect planned force structure rather than contracts already executed.
The core of the package is the ALTIUS-700M, a loitering munition designed for precision attack in contested environments. According to the U.S. notification, the system integrates full-motion video, an infrared seeker and tracking capability, assured position, navigation and timing, and resilient communications. The scale of the planned purchase suggests that Taiwan views the ALTIUS-700M not as a niche capability, but as a massed strike asset intended for sustained use. In operational terms, this aligns with a concept of treating loitering munitions more like expendable precision fires than like traditional aircraft, allowing large numbers to be employed against landing forces, armored units, logistics nodes, and command elements once targets are confirmed.
Alongside the strike-focused 700M variant, Taiwan plans to acquire 478 ALTIUS-600ISR systems. These platforms are configured for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, featuring electro-optical and long-wave infrared camera gimbals and integration with ground control systems and canister launchers. The ratio between strike and ISR systems points to a deliberate balance: a strong emphasis on offensive capacity, while retaining sufficient sensor platforms to generate, update and validate target data during high-tempo operations. This pairing shortens the sensor-to-shooter loop, a critical factor in scenarios where engagement windows may be brief and contested by electronic warfare.
The U.S. sale description also includes trailers, mobile ground control systems, training rounds, spares, and field service support, indicating a fielding concept based on dispersion and mobility. Rather than concentrating launch and control assets at fixed sites, the ALTIUS systems are intended to be operated from relocatable nodes that can be concealed, repositioned, and regenerated after attack. This approach directly supports Taiwan’s broader push toward survivable, networked defenses that can function under missile and air attack, and reduces dependence on vulnerable airfields or large bases.
Recent publicized training activity provides insight into how these systems are being incorporated into Taiwan’s force structure. In December 2025, the Ministry of National Defense confirmed live-fire acceptance testing of ALTIUS-series attack drones, with Defense Minister Wellington Koo observing exercises focused on unit-level procedures, troubleshooting, and command-and-control integration. The visibility of these drills suggests that loitering munitions are being normalized within ground force and artillery planning, rather than reserved for specialized units, reinforcing their role as a standard precision fires capability.
Strategically, the planned ALTIUS inventory fits squarely within Taiwan’s emphasis on asymmetric defense. In a Taiwan Strait contingency, time and attrition are decisive variables. Large numbers of loitering munitions allow Taiwanese forces to delay engagement until targets are confirmed, strike from dispersed positions, and impose costs on an adversary during staging, transit, and landing phases. By integrating ISR and strike drones into a resilient command-and-control architecture, Taipei aims to complicate an opponent’s planning and extend the defender’s ability to fight even under sustained pressure.
The disclosure of 1,554 ALTIUS-700M loitering munitions and 478 ALTIUS-600ISR systems marks an important development in Taiwan’s defense posture. It reveals both the scale of Taipei’s planned investment in uncrewed precision fires and the strategic logic underpinning it: mass, dispersion, and endurance rather than reliance on a small number of high-value platforms. While final execution depends on approval of the special defense budget, the figures already provide a clear indication of how Taiwan intends to thicken its coastal and near-shore “kill chain” and strengthen deterrence through a dense, networked, and consumable drone force built around systems supplied by the United States and developed by Anduril Industries under a Foreign Military Sale administered by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
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Taiwan has confirmed plans to acquire 1,554 ALTIUS-700M loitering munitions and 478 ALTIUS-600ISR drones under a U.S. arms sales package notified in December 2025. The disclosure highlights Taipei’s shift toward large-scale, attritable drone forces designed to complicate and delay any cross-strait assault.
Taiwanese authorities disclosed on January 20, 2026, that the nation will acquire 1,554 ALTIUS-700M loitering munitions and 478 ALTIUS-600ISR systems, as confirmed by reports from Focus Taiwan and other local news agencies, within a major U.S. arms package approved in mid-December 2025. The disclosure, made in the context of domestic debate over a NT$1.25 trillion special defense budget covering the 2026–2033 period, provides rare quantitative insight into how Taipei intends to expand its stock of precision strike and reconnaissance drones. Beyond the figures themselves, the announcement sheds light on Taiwan’s evolving approach to asymmetric warfare, distributed firepower, and long-duration resilience in a potential cross-strait conflict.
Taiwan has confirmed plans to acquire more than 2,000 ALTIUS loitering munitions and ISR drones in a major U.S. arms sale, underscoring a deliberate shift toward large-scale, attritable systems central to its asymmetric defense strategy (Picture Source: Anduril)
The confirmation of exact unit numbers represents a significant departure from the usual opacity surrounding U.S. Foreign Military Sales. When the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of the ALTIUS sale in December 2025, the case was valued at an estimated US$1.1 billion but did not publicly specify quantities. Those details have now emerged through Taiwan’s internal budget process, placing the ALTIUS acquisition among the most substantial loitering-munition orders disclosed in the region. The figures are tied to the special defense budget proposal currently under review by the Legislative Yuan, meaning they reflect planned force structure rather than contracts already executed.
The core of the package is the ALTIUS-700M, a loitering munition designed for precision attack in contested environments. According to the U.S. notification, the system integrates full-motion video, an infrared seeker and tracking capability, assured position, navigation and timing, and resilient communications. The scale of the planned purchase suggests that Taiwan views the ALTIUS-700M not as a niche capability, but as a massed strike asset intended for sustained use. In operational terms, this aligns with a concept of treating loitering munitions more like expendable precision fires than like traditional aircraft, allowing large numbers to be employed against landing forces, armored units, logistics nodes, and command elements once targets are confirmed.
Alongside the strike-focused 700M variant, Taiwan plans to acquire 478 ALTIUS-600ISR systems. These platforms are configured for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, featuring electro-optical and long-wave infrared camera gimbals and integration with ground control systems and canister launchers. The ratio between strike and ISR systems points to a deliberate balance: a strong emphasis on offensive capacity, while retaining sufficient sensor platforms to generate, update and validate target data during high-tempo operations. This pairing shortens the sensor-to-shooter loop, a critical factor in scenarios where engagement windows may be brief and contested by electronic warfare.
The U.S. sale description also includes trailers, mobile ground control systems, training rounds, spares, and field service support, indicating a fielding concept based on dispersion and mobility. Rather than concentrating launch and control assets at fixed sites, the ALTIUS systems are intended to be operated from relocatable nodes that can be concealed, repositioned, and regenerated after attack. This approach directly supports Taiwan’s broader push toward survivable, networked defenses that can function under missile and air attack, and reduces dependence on vulnerable airfields or large bases.
Recent publicized training activity provides insight into how these systems are being incorporated into Taiwan’s force structure. In December 2025, the Ministry of National Defense confirmed live-fire acceptance testing of ALTIUS-series attack drones, with Defense Minister Wellington Koo observing exercises focused on unit-level procedures, troubleshooting, and command-and-control integration. The visibility of these drills suggests that loitering munitions are being normalized within ground force and artillery planning, rather than reserved for specialized units, reinforcing their role as a standard precision fires capability.
Strategically, the planned ALTIUS inventory fits squarely within Taiwan’s emphasis on asymmetric defense. In a Taiwan Strait contingency, time and attrition are decisive variables. Large numbers of loitering munitions allow Taiwanese forces to delay engagement until targets are confirmed, strike from dispersed positions, and impose costs on an adversary during staging, transit, and landing phases. By integrating ISR and strike drones into a resilient command-and-control architecture, Taipei aims to complicate an opponent’s planning and extend the defender’s ability to fight even under sustained pressure.
The disclosure of 1,554 ALTIUS-700M loitering munitions and 478 ALTIUS-600ISR systems marks an important development in Taiwan’s defense posture. It reveals both the scale of Taipei’s planned investment in uncrewed precision fires and the strategic logic underpinning it: mass, dispersion, and endurance rather than reliance on a small number of high-value platforms. While final execution depends on approval of the special defense budget, the figures already provide a clear indication of how Taiwan intends to thicken its coastal and near-shore “kill chain” and strengthen deterrence through a dense, networked, and consumable drone force built around systems supplied by the United States and developed by Anduril Industries under a Foreign Military Sale administered by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
