Taiwan obtains U.S. Jump 20 drone to strengthen maritime security: CGA
ROC Central News Agency
06/26/2023 10:11 PM
Taipei, June 26 (CNA) The United States has provided a Jump 20 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system to Taiwan and offered training on operating the drone to strengthen regional security in the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration (CGA) confirmed Monday.
According to a local media report, the deal was brokered by CGA Director-General Chou Mei-wu (周美伍) at the end of last year for the U.S. to provide the drone, which has vertical take-off and landing capabilities, to Taiwan for free.
The CGA said the U.S. agreed to supply the UAV and training to deal with illegal oil sales and the proliferation of weapons and illegal fishing as well as combat cross-border criminal activity, and tackle maritime disasters.
Since obtaining the Jump 20 UAV, the CGA has arranged for patrol personnel with UAV certificates to learn how to operate the system, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Neither the report nor the CGA said when the UAV was delivered.
The report did say the CGA encountered import control barriers when it brought the drone into Taiwan and that it requested technical help from the Ministry of National Defense and the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, but the CGA said Monday that account was not consistent with the facts.
On Monday, lawmakers across Taiwan's political spectrum hailed the acquisition.
Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) of the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) said he was pleased to see Washington's willingness to provide the Jump 20 system free of charge for the CGA's use, given that the AeroVironment Jump 20 is a U.S. Army new generation drone.
Chiang described the move as showing substantive progress in regional security cooperation between the U.S. and Taiwan, saying it took the U.S. administration's plan to send US$500 million in weapons aid, including Stinger Missiles, to Taiwan a step further.
The drone was provided to the CGA to further strengthen its capability to combat crimes at sea and maintain maritime and regional security, Chiang said, and it can also play a more important role in areas other than surveillance and reconnaissance.
Its ability to be deployed, operated and sustained from anywhere is also a gamechanger in situations where the enemy has invaded or destroyed infrastructure, according to Chiang.
Ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄) said the drone delivery was aimed at strengthening the CGA's ability to improve security and crack down on maritime crime.
Chang Yen-ting (張延廷), a former deputy commander of the Air Force, told CNA that the JUMP 20 can provide multi-sensor intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance services.
Able to stay in the air 14+ hours with a maximum speed of 92 kilometers per hour, the drone has a low visual and acoustic signature that makes it ideal for multi-mission operations, he said.
Meanwhile, Chieh Chung (揭仲), an associate research fellow with the National Policy Foundation in Taipei, said Monday the drone can indirectly strengthen Taiwan's surveillance capabilities over its surrounding waters, which will help Taiwan counter the gray zone threat brought by the China.
(By Huang Li-yun, Wang Yang-yu, Wang Cheng-chung, Wu Shen-hung and Evelyn Kao)
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