The Taiwanese military has completed the distribution of a new anti-drone weapon to troops across various services.
Part of a 4.6-billion New Taiwan dollar ($146-million) program, it will bolster the drone defense capabilities of more than 40 military bases across the small island nation.
The weapon is now reportedly being used in conjunction with small arms.
Plans are also underway to integrate a line-of-sight drone countermeasure system with functions such as active warning, passive detection, and interference.
The Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense previously explained that deploying anti-drone systems is a top priority “to deal with gray-zone warfare threats.”
Call for Revamp
The deployment of new anti-drone guns comes nearly two years after a controversial incident in which an alleged Chinese unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spied on the island nation.
It was able to collect some photos of Taiwanese soldiers stationed at the Lieyu Garrison Battalion.
One soldier tried to take a photo of the hostile drone as a standard operating procedure, while others could be seen throwing rocks at it.
The incident, along with other illegal intrusions by Beijing, has prompted military officials and analysts to call for a revamp in Taiwan’s defense strategies against UAVs.
Lieutenant Colonel Chang Tzu-Hung said the defense ministry must explore various methods to identify the most effective identification, tracking, and threat reporting strategy.
Since the drone incursion, Taipei has also ramped up its efforts to develop anti-drone systems that can be used in the event of a conflict with China.