Boom in drone business
Last year, Thunder Tiger’s Overkill drones became the first drones from an Asian company to qualify for the Pentagon’s Blue Uncrewed Aircraft System Cleared List, which certifies commercial drones for use by the US military. The small, first-person view (FPV) drones cost between $3,000 and $5,000 each, Rest of the World reports, and are similar to many of the explosive FPV drones being used on battlefields in Ukraine.
According to the Rest of the World report, Thunder Tiger has also begun the production of large kamikaze drones based on the US Lucas one-way attack drone, starting at $30,000. The LUCAS drones themselves are reverse-engineered versions of Iran’s Shaheed drones which have been used in large numbers by both Russia and Iran.
Another unilateral attack drone based on Israel’s Harpy drone was developed by Taiwan’s state-owned corporation, the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), according to Taiwanese think tank DSET.
Taiwanese companies also export a lot of drone components. For example, according to DSET, Thunder Tiger is supplying drone components to three companies participating in the US Department of Defense’s $1 billion Drone Dominance program. Taiwanese companies are also supplying flight controllers, batteries, motors and other drone microelectronics directly to Ukrainian companies, while Czechia and Poland import thousands of Taiwanese drones that can sometimes be shipped to Ukraine.
In March 2026, Thunder Tiger also expanded its overseas supply chain by setting up a US facility in Ohio, which is capable of producing more than 60,000 drone motors every year, said Jean Su, general manager of Thunder Tiger, in an IEEE Spectrum interview.
Given their focus on hardware manufacturing expertise, Taiwanese drone companies typically turn to US companies and other companies with greater expertise in AI and software. According to DSET, Taiwan’s NCSIST has sought to boost the AI capabilities of its drones by partnering with Western companies such as Anduril, Autarian and Shield AI. Meanwhile, Thunder Tiger has purchased AI software from Autarian to embed into its broader lineup of drones, ground robots and maritime drones.
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