Defense ministry lays out plan to develop drone talent

2024-03-27

The military has beefed up its drone arsenal in recent years, through both overseas procurement and domestic production. And with the increase in drones comes the need for more drone pilots. To meet the talent gap, the defense ministry says it will establish a dedicated pilot training center. Working with the private sector, it also plans to train instructors who can teach other drone pilots.

This is a military shooting range in Taitung’s Taimali Township. Soldiers in camouflage operate what appears to be an Albatross II drone, which was unveiled last year. This site could be the future home of a drone training center.

The military has a range of Taiwan-made drone models, including the Teng Yun, the Cardinal and the Albatross. In addition, the Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology and the private sector are developing commercial drones that can be adapted for military use. Taiwan is also set to receive four MQ-9 Reapers from the U.S. Amid growing demand for drone pilots, the military plans to establish a drone training center that offers a wide array of courses, including training in combat scenarios.

Chiu Kuo-cheng
Defense minister
Our talent pool will not be restricted to our current personnel. There are a lot of retired military officers, or older officers that could be considered. There are no age restrictions when it comes to remotely controlling drones, so such talent can serve beyond typical age limits. We’d be recruiting pilots through diverse channels. There are also a lot of younger people who are interested in this and who have professional experience. We can recruit them to form different squads.

Training a large number of drone pilots will require teaching instructors. The military will work with the private sector to train pilots who can later become instructors for small- and medium-sized drones. The initial goal is to train 320 such instructors a year.

Huang Jen
KMT lawmaker
You want to train 320 instructors a year. That is a very low number. If you want there to be enough to train pilots, we need 1,000 instructors a year. You should reevaluate these numbers.

Chen Wen-hsing
Defense official
Our goal is to have 1,000 instructors. We will work toward that goal.

Loh Meei-ling
DPP lawmaker
Could you perhaps offer different training levels? People who are interested could start from basic courses. And people who already have the expertise can train at a different level.

Chiu Kuo-cheng
Defense minister
We’re not saying that every trainee will have to go through the basics. That would waste a lot of time. We’ll work on this.

From creating a training center to cultivating instructors, the military is ramping up its investment in drones to create an edge in asymmetric warfare.

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強化實戰能力! 軍方將成立"無人機訓練中心"

2024-03-27

烏克蘭在戰爭中，多次利用無人機重擊俄軍，讓無人機成為不對稱作戰重要戰力，我國也開始加大投資，除了自行研製，也與民間廠商合作，同時對美採購，無人機增多操作人員也必須增加，軍方規畫成立"無人機訓練中心"，同時與民間廠商合作，培育中、小型無人機種子教官，結訓後可培養更多無人機操作手。

這是台東太麻里的軍用靶場，穿著迷彩服人員疑似正在操作去年亮相的二代銳鳶，而這裡也可能是未來「無人機訓練中心」所在地。

我國現有騰雲、紅雀微型、銳鳶等機型，中科院正加緊研發，同時與民間廠商合作，開發多款軍用商規無人機，加上對美採購MQ-9B，為因應操作手需求增多，軍方規劃成立無人機訓練中心，將整合各項課程，實施實戰化訓練項目。

[[國防部長邱國正]]
“人才來源不是光只有現有的，我們有很多從軍中退的，年齡大一點的，但他如果操控無人機的話，他沒有受到年齡的限制，他服務的年齡可以大一點，所以我們從多元管道，有些年輕人在這方面本來就很有興趣，而且也很專業，我們把這些人招來以後成立班隊”

要訓練大量無人機飛手，種子教官很重要，軍方先與民間廠商合作培訓操作手，結訓後可擔任各軍種中、小型無人機種子教官，一年大約320人次。

[[立委(國) 黃仁]]
“你們現在所訂定的320人次，只是一個低標準，如果按照以培訓的飛手來講，應該每一年要達到1000人次，所以你們這個數據應該要檢討”

[[作計室次長陳文星]]
“1000人是我們的目標，我們會持續朝這個目標再去作加速”

[[立委(民) 羅美玲]]
“課程上面我們可不可以來做分級，有意願的可能是從初級的這個部分來做訓練，當然已經有這個專業的，當然我們會來做分級的這個訓練”

[[國防部長邱國正]]
“不會講說一來以後通通從基礎來做，這樣的話就浪費了其他人的時間，我們從這方面來努力”

從培育種子教官到成立訓練中心，軍方加大對無人機投資，強化不對稱戰力。

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