Military Drone Maker Caught Using Chinese Chips, Owners Detained
A Taiwanese drone maker is under investigation after military inspectors found suspected Chinese-made chips inside drones sold to Taiwan's army, and this is bad for the company and for trust in Taiwan's defense supply chain.
- A Taichung-based tech company, known for making remote-control helicopters, had been supplying drones to Taiwan's military, police, and fire departments.
- Army inspectors found chips marked "CN" inside drones bought for training use, suggesting they were made in China.
- Further investigation turned up suspected Chinese chips in another batch of drones supplied to the military.
- Military contracts explicitly ban using Chinese, Hong Kong, or Macau-made parts, so prosecutors are pursuing national security and fraud charges.
- The company's owner and his wife, along with other staff, were investigated, and the couple has now been detained without bail while the case continues.
Outlook: The investigation is ongoing, and the case is likely to raise broader scrutiny of Chinese components hidden in Taiwan's defense supply chains.