Taiwan conducted live ammunition firing for the first time on the Altius-600M attack drone it purchased from the United States on the 18th. Minister of National Defense Gu Li-xiong visited the scene to oversee the live-fire exercise, urging the troops to continue their readiness preparations to demonstrate their determination to defend their homeland.
The Republic of China’s military has procured a total of 291 Altius-600M attack drones from the United States, with the first batch being delivered to the army in August this year. The Altius-600M attack drone of the national army carried out live ammunition firing for the first time on the 18th.
The Ministry of National Defense issued a press release stating that Minister Gu Li-xiong, accompanied by Army Commander Lu Kun-hsiu, and others visited the “Altius-600M attack drone ammunition loading live-fire exercise” on the morning of the 18th. They were briefed on the mission, as well as the shooting status of the troops, and commended the efforts of the exercise troops.
The Ministry of National Defense stated that the live ammunition firing took place around the Choshui River, with the drone training center and various artillery command posts participating in the shooting to review the troops’ operational procedures and the overall efficiency of command and control operations. During the exercise, performance tests were first carried out using training aircraft to confirm the shooting airspace and target environment. This was followed by firing with live ammunition to verify the personnel’s familiarity with equipment operation, troubleshooting, and the effectiveness of system integration and command control.
After the exercise concluded, Minister Gu Li-xiong personally visited the troops participating in the exercise, commending them for demonstrating teamwork and showcasing the results of their training. He also expressed his hope that through post-training reviews and other measures, areas for improvement could be identified to continue the preparations for readiness, demonstrating the determination to defend their homeland and safeguard national security.