Taiwan Receives First U.S. MQ-9 SkyGuardian Drones

Taiwan received the first batch of an advanced drone order from the U.S. last week that is set to bolster Taipei’s over-the-horizon targeting capabilities. The Ministry of National Defense oversaw the transfer of two MQ-9B SkyGuardian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) Tuesday from General Atomics. The drones are the latest in the American defense contractor’s line-up of Reaper-derived variants. The MQ-9B SkyGuardians are designed to loiter for up to 40 hours and are equipped with advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sensor payloads – bringing a much needed boost to Taipei’s monitoring capabilities amid challenges from Beijing. The MQ-9B’s radar can also