Taiwan says US drone orders not impacted by the ongoing conflicts.

An order for four advanced U.S.-made MQ-9B "SkyGuardian" drones is on track and hasn't been affected by the war in the Middle East, Taiwan's air force said on Tuesday.



The air force said in a statement that the order for the drones, made by General Atomics and designed for surveillance and target acquisition, is proceeding according to schedule. It has previously said it expects delivery of the first two later this year.



The U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran, on top of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Israel's military operations in Gaza, has seen the U.S. draw down billions of dollars' worth of weapons stockpiles.



The United States is Taiwan's main source of weapons, and Taipei has repeatedly complained of delivery delays due to snarled supply chains dating back to the COVID pandemic, including of F-16V fighter jets.



"Deliveries have not been affected by the fighting in the Middle East," the air force statement said.



"The military remains in close contact with the U.S. side to ensure progress stays on track and to effectively strengthen overall national defence capabilities."

The MQ-9 series of drones has been widely used in combat situations, including by Israel over Gaza.