Anduril Founder Luckey: 'Happy to See Taiwan Become a Defense Product Exporter, Deepening Global Dependence'

(CNA reporter Wu Shu-wei, Taipei, 5th) Palmer Luckey, founder of US defense technology company Anduril, stated that Taiwan is one of the very few countries in the world with the industrial and technological capability to completely manufacture advanced weapons indigenously. He expressed his delight at the prospect of Taiwan becoming an exporter of defense products, which would benefit economic development, deepen other countries' dependence on Taiwan, and allow export production capacity to be redirected for domestic use in wartime.

Taiwan has acquired Altius-600M attack drones manufactured by Anduril through military purchases from the US. These drones have already been delivered to the Taiwanese military and are being used in live-fire training exercises. Luckey recently visited Taiwan and gave an exclusive interview to CNA on the 5th.

In previous interviews, Luckey mentioned that Anduril has a "China 27" policy, requiring all actions to be based on the premise that "China will make a move on Taiwan in 2027."

Asked whether the "China 27" policy is still in effect, Luckey said that the "China 27" policy still guides Anduril, but the date has changed. He explained that "China 27" was a policy implemented five years ago, when there was thought to be enough time to complete related projects. However, the products currently under development will not be usable until 2028 or 2029. Therefore, the concept of "China 27" remains, but the date has changed.

Luckey pointed out that future weapons will be like modern cars and smartphones, capable of software upgrades on the battlefield. Hardware also needs to be modular; for example, a drone's seeker could be replaced without manufacturing a new drone, allowing for the development of new communication modules or new warheads.

Regarding the situation in the Taiwan Strait, Luckey noted that many people are too pessimistic, believing Taiwan cannot match China. However, he argued that Taiwan does not need to be as powerful as the People's Liberation Army. It only needs to build the capability to prevent the PLA from crossing the strait, projecting force, and conducting a sustained occupation. By focusing on developing asymmetric warfare systems, Taiwan can prevent China from achieving its tactical objectives with less money and manpower. Autonomous system weapons will make this even easier, enabling asymmetric warfare through low cost and mass production.

Luckey stated that Taiwan is one of the very few countries in the world with the industrial and technological capability to indigenously manufacture all components of advanced weapons. Countries like the UK, Germany, and Canada cannot 100% manufacture drones or weapons systems. To expand the defense industry supply chain, Taiwan needs to become a weapons exporter. Ideally, Taiwan would export not only advanced semiconductors and chips but also complete weapons systems to countries around the world.

Luckey explained that there are three benefits to this: first, it benefits economic development; second, it helps maintain cooperative relationships between countries and Taiwan; and third, in wartime, export production capacity can be redirected for domestic use. Therefore, he hopes Taiwan becomes an exporter of defense products, not just an exporter of micro-components.

Asked whether Taiwan can transform from a "Silicon Shield" into a "Drone Shield," Luckey said he would be happy to see that happen. He noted that many countries pay attention to Taiwan because they are highly dependent on Taiwan's semiconductors. "What if these countries also depend on Taiwan's weapons?" he asked.

Luckey said there are not many areas where Taiwan can make other countries dependent on it, but it can become a supplier of defense materials, consumer electronics, and advanced semiconductors. If he were in charge of Taiwan, he would do everything in his power to make Taiwan an indispensable part of the world in all aspects, including the defense industry. (Editor: Hsieh Chia-chen) 1150605