Taiwan shifts from buyer to maker at TADTE defense expo

Holding the Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition (TADTE), Taiwan made clear that it is no longer merely a purchaser of defense hardware—but an emergent developer and co-producer poised to reshape its strategic posture.

From September 18 to 20, Taipei's Nangang Exhibition Center hosted TADTE 2025, Taiwan's biennial showcase of defense, aerospace, space, and unmanned-systems technologies. Taiwan's Commercial Times reported that during the three-day event, 36,000 visitors showed up, nearly doubling the number from the previous time.

Organized by Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), this year's edition was in fact the largest to date. Over 490 exhibitors from 15 countries across more than 1,500 booths displayed cutting-edge systems ranging from unmanned vehicles to ballistic missile defense during the exposition. 

Among the 15 countries were the US, the UK, Czechia, Germany, France, Japan, India, and Australia.

From buyer to maker: Key developments

Taiwan used TADTE 2025 to spotlight its own growing capability in designing and producing defence technology. Among the headline developments were as follows.

The new “Strong Bow” missile, Taiwan's enhanced version of the Tien Kung III surface-to-air missile system, was unveiled. President of the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) Li Shih-chiang (李世強) stated, at the TADTE pre-opening press event, that it has entered mass production.

As for unmanned combat and reconnaissance drones, the Taiwanese-engineered “Mighty Hornet” variants were also exhibited by NCSIST at TADTE. As the Liberty Times documented, NCSIST personnel said these Mighty Hornet drones would in the future be fully integrated with the American defense company Anduril's Lattice OS system to improve Taiwan's asymmetric warfare capabilities.

Other drones included the Rui-Yuan II. With an instant reconnaissance and immediate strike capability, it could fly for 16 hours and has a navigation distance of more than 300 kilometers, NCSIST engineer Lin Shih-hang (林仕航) told reporters.


International partnerships and technology collaborations

While Taiwan's domestic innovation was on full display, so too were its collaborations with foreign firms—cementing its shift towards co-production rather than dependency.

The first-ever USA Partnership Pavilion at TADTE, with some 42 US exhibitors, 23 participating for the first time, underscored the US industry's increasing commitment to Taiwan. Deputy Director Ms. Karin Lang from the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the de facto embassy of the US, showed up at the event as a guest of honor, and at one point walked with Taiwan's president Lai Ching-te (賴清德) around the venue.

Corporation deals and Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) were signed for collaborative systems. For example, the aforementioned NCSIST president Li Shih-chiang signed contracts and MOUs with six companies, including, inter alia, Anduril, Leonardo DRS, and Canadian firm Airshare.

Taiwanese firms have also made global partnerships at the event. For instance, AIDC officially signed an MOU on cooperation for Raptor Visual Positioning and 3D Mapping, with US provider of precise geospatial insights, MAXAR Intelligence.

Similarly, Economic Daily News reported that Easton Precision Industries, a Taiwanese drone company specializing in high-performance dual-use UAVs, signed an MOU with Polish company Poltaiw Apex at TADTE.

US aerospace and defense technology company Shield AI announced the opening of its new Taipei office at the event during the TADTE expo. The report went on to say that the new office opening was built on a recent teaming agreement between Shield AI and the Taiwanese company Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC), per Yahoo Finance.

In fact, even after the TADTE event, the vice president of Taiwan, Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), cited the demonstration of anti-drone defense technologies by Canadian manufacturers at TADTE upon receiving a Canadian national security delegation at the Office of the President on September 22. This was documented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and published on a MOFA news platform Taiwan Today.

As TADTE's official press release showed, participants included global contractors such as Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems, L3Harris, and Airbus. Taiwanese manufacturers like AIDC, Thunder Tiger, Compal, Coretronic Intelligent Robotics Corporation (CIRC), and Universal Microwave Technology (UMT) were also in attendance. 

Taiwanese shipbuilders CSBC, Lungteh, and Jong Shyn also unveiled naval platforms and unmanned surface vessels at the show.

Numerous companies, including Airbus, made their debut at TADTE this year. Taiwanese companies showcased their abilities and connected with foreign counterparts.


Broader implications

Through TADTE, Taiwan has shown a shift towards strategic autonomy. Taiwan has been investing not just in acquisition but also in indigenous design, manufacturing, and sustained production, including in high-cost systems such as missile defence and even submarines.

In terms of cost and capability, as a DigiTimes article noted, with its low-cost and fast production, Taiwan was the new favorite at the European defense exhibition Defense and Security Equipment International. 

By co-producing with partner firms and welcoming the operations of foreign firms, Taiwan leverages foreign technology while building local capacity. Lower unit costs, domestic supply chains, and scalable platforms, especially unmanned ones, are features different from Taiwan's past defense industry.

TADTE 2025 took place as Taiwan shifts toward co-production and self-reliance and against a background of cross-strait tension.

As Beijing continues to expand its military presence in the Taiwan Strait and beyond, Taipei's growing ability to manufacture and co-develop advanced systems is a signal to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The scale of TADTE, with global firms, government agents, and foreign delegates taking part, also embodies Taiwan's resolve to move from passive vulnerability to resilient deterrence.

TADTE 2025 demonstrated that Taiwan is no mere end-user in the global arms and aerospace market. It aspires—and is increasingly able—to be a co-creator. Through indigenous development, foreign partnerships, and strategic investment in unmanned, missile, naval, and aerospace systems, Taiwan is transforming from a buyer into a producer.

For regional actors, Taiwan's technological maturation underscores the island's strategic importance as a bulwark in the first island chain. For Washington and global partners, it provides reassurance that Taiwan is not a passive beneficiary of arms sales but an increasingly capable stakeholder in collective security, one whose industrial resilience could contribute to the broader Indo-Pacific balance.