Taiwan is putting a national drone testing lab in Taichung, good news for the city's precision machinery and aerospace suppliers hoping to move into defense and low-altitude aviation work.

• The cabinet approved a three-year plan in early September, with the lab due to open in 2029.
• It will sit at the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection's Taichung branch and include a radio-wave anechoic chamber for signal testing.
• Testing will focus on drones under 25 kilograms, covering swarm flight, obstacle avoidance, and satellite communications.
• Taichung was picked for its dense cluster of precision machinery and aircraft parts makers, linking design, manufacturing, and certification in one place.
• Local officials say drones now touch defense and electronic warfare, and have promised to speed up building permits.

Outlook: Testing capacity will be phased in over the next three years as Taiwan pushes to get its drone makers certified to international standards.