Taiwan to Reclassify Small Drones as ‘Consumables’ for Faster Military Procurement

Taiwan will reclassify small drones as “consumables” instead of durable military equipment, a move aimed at accelerating drone access for its armed forces amid growing tensions with China. The change, patterned after a recent U.S. policy, is expected to streamline procurement and foster tighter cooperation between Taiwan’s military and its domestic drone industry, reports Focus Taiwan.

Aligning with U.S. Drone Procurement Reforms

In July, the U.S. Defense Department reclassified Group 1 and Group 2 drones—systems weighing up to 55 pounds (25 kilograms)—as comparable to ammunition. This allowed lower-level commanders to directly purchase and authorize their use. Taiwan is now adopting a similar framework, treating small uncrewed aerial systems (sUAS) less like aircraft and more like readily replaceable battlefield tools.

Su Tzu-yun, Director of the National Defense and Security Research Division, stated that the effectiveness of sUAS hinges on deploying them en masse, noting that only about 10 percent of drones reach their intended target. By reclassifying them as consumables, Taiwan hopes to ensure a continuous supply chain and greater tactical flexibility.

Expanding Taiwan’s Drone Arsenal

Taipei has been carefully studying the role of drones in the Ukraine-Russia war and is accelerating its own procurement to prepare for a potential conflict with Beijing. China has not ruled out the use of force in its attempt to bring Taiwan under its control, prompting Taipei to adopt a more asymmetric defense strategy.

Taiwan plans to acquire 48,750 domestically produced drones by 2027, integrating them into soldier training curriculums. Earlier this month, the military received its first batch of Altius loitering munitions from U.S. defense contractor Anduril. In addition, Taiwan unveiled two new indigenous systems:

• A bomb-dropping uncrewed aerial vehicle designed for precision strikes.
• A catapult-launched kamikaze drone intended for one-way attack missions.

Strengthening Industry-Military Collaboration

The reclassification is also aimed at building stronger ties between Taiwan’s armed forces and local drone manufacturers. Shorter procurement cycles will enable faster field testing and refinement, ensuring that drones are continuously adapted to real-world battlefield conditions.

By lowering bureaucratic hurdles, Taiwan hopes to avoid bottlenecks in production and supply, ensuring the military can scale up deployment quickly in the event of a conflict.

DroneXL’s Take

Taiwan’s decision to treat small drones as expendable assets rather than traditional aircraft reflects a major shift in military thinking. The emerging doctrine acknowledges that swarm tactics and mass employment outweigh precision in next-generation conflicts.

However, several questions remain:

• Will domestic manufacturers be able to meet production targets of nearly 50,000 drones by 2027?
• Can Taiwan sustain the funding needed for such a large-scale procurement program over the long term?
• How will adversaries adapt to counter large-scale drone use, and will Taiwan be able to stay ahead in electronic warfare and counter-drone defenses?

For now, the move signals Taiwan’s intent to rapidly scale up uncrewed capabilities as part of a wider asymmetric defense strategy. What do you think about this shift in classification—could the consumable model reshape military drone doctrine worldwide? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Photos courtesy of Bloomberg / An Rong Xu.