Taiwan defence logistics under fire over missing chargers for US drones

Taiwan’s military has taken delivery of 291 one-way attack drones from US maker Anduril Industries, only to find they came without chargers and require American assistance to recharge them.

The revelation involving the Altius-600M loitering munitions has prompted Taiwan’s opposition lawmakers to question the military’s procurement and logistical planning, days before the drones join other weapons systems in a three-day live-fire exercise.

The controversy comes at a sensitive time in Sino-American relations, with US President Donald Trump expected to host Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Washington on September 24 and Taiwan arms sales emerging as a potential irritant ahead of the summit.

According to recent local media reports, chargers were not included in the US Letter of Offer and Acceptance for the drones because the original equipment contained mainland Chinese-made components and therefore failed to meet requirements for a so-called non-red, or non-Chinese, supply chain.