Taiwan’s National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), a military R&D and systems integration center, unveiled its version of the Switchblade miniature loitering munition.
The press conference in Taichung highlighted three other indigenous unmanned air vehicles: Albatross II, Cardinal III, and new variants of Chien Hsiang.
NCSIST official Chi Liping informed the media that the miniature loitering munition, which is yet to be named, can be used by a single soldier to accurately target high-threat targets, including high-value individuals and vehicles. The munition is like a large grenade that can be carried in a backpack and used for nearshore attacks. The munition has a range of over 10km and can loiter for more than 15 minutes, fitted with electro-optical and infrared cameras. It has been designed to self-destruct at the end of its flight.
The Cardinal III, a new version of the small drone Cardinal family, has been launched with vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capability. The Marine Corps requested this VTOL functionality to operate the drone from difficult terrains and ship decks.
The Albatross II medium unmanned aerial vehicle has also been unveiled, with new wings and fuselage, operating up to 300km away and staying in the air for 16 hours. The drone comes with multiple features, including daylight and night-time cameras and a multifunction sea search radar.
The press conference also unveiled two new variants of the Chien Hsiang anti-radiation loitering munition, one featuring GPS guidance and the other fitted with an electro-optical camera, making it capable of attacking moving targets. In 2017, the Chien Hsiang was launched at the Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition.