TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense plans to procure up to 200,000 drones under a proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.5 billion) special defense budget.

Following a classified briefing on the details of the proposal with lawmakers on Monday, Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said that the military plans to purchase 200,000 drones, not the 50,000 previously rumored, per NOWNews.

The US government on Dec. 17, 2025, announced a record arms package worth NT$350.35 billion (US$11.1 billion) and began the congressional notification process. The sale includes additional Altius-600M attack drones, though quantities were not disclosed.

The MND's publicly releasable procurement list includes 478 Altius-600ISR units and 1,554 Altius-700M units. In addition to aerial drones, the military also plans to acquire over 1,000 unmanned surface vessels. 

The Altius-600ISR is an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance variant with up to 3.5 hours of endurance and a 375-kilometer range. The Altius-700M carries a 14.97-kilogram warhead and has an endurance of about 1.25 hours with a range of roughly 160 kilometers.