Taiwan has begun flight testing its newly acquired MQ-9B drones, giving the island a long-range reconnaissance platform capable of monitoring People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and grey-zone activities across vast stretches of surrounding waters.
The first two of four MQ-9B SeaGuardians ordered from the United States took off from Hualien Air Base in eastern Taiwan on Monday, according to military sources.
It was their first test flight since arriving in Taiwan by sea in June, following nearly three months of assembly, testing and preparations by the air force and US manufacturer General Atomics Aeronautical Systems.
The drones were handed over to Taiwanese personnel in the US on March 17 before being shipped to the southern city of Kaohsiung and transported to Hualien county, where they were assembled in a US military-certified hangar.