How a Drone ‘Hellscape’ Might Stop a Chinese Invasion of Taiwan
New York Times
N
New York Times
Original Source
Taiwan is accelerating efforts to build drone fleets and unmanned attack boats to deter a potential Chinese invasion, inspired by lessons from Ukraine's recent military successes. The strategy, described by U.S. commanders as a 'hellscape,' aims to overwhelm invading forces with successive waves of drones, missiles, and artillery fire.
How a Drone ‘Hellscape’ Might Stop a Chinese Invasion of Taiwan - The New York Times
Skip to contentSkip to site index
Asia Pacific
Today’s Paper
Russia-Ukraine War
* Ukraine’s Air Defenses
* Aerial Warfare
* Ukraine’s Killer Robot Program
* Photos
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.
Supported by
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
How a Drone ‘Hellscape’ Might Stop a Chinese Invasion of Taiwan
Inspired by Ukraine’s battlefield gains, Taiwan is betting on drones to deter a potential Chinese invasion.
Listen · 9:07 min
*
*
*
!Several people in camouflage military uniforms inspect a drone. One person kneels, working on the drone on a green surface.
*Members of Taiwan’s military operating a drone during the annual Han Kuang military exercises in Changhua, Taiwan on Thursday.
Credit...
Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times*
By
Chris Buckley and Amy Chang Chien
Reporting from Taipei, Taiwan
Aug. 9, 2026, 12:01 a.m. ET
See more of our coverage in your search results. Encuentra más de nuestra cobertura en los resultados de búsqueda. Add The New York Times on Google Agrega The New York Times en Google
To repel any future Chinese invasion, Taiwan is building fleets of flying drones and unmanned attack boats.
The goal is to use them to help locate and attack Chinese forces approaching the island, relying on Taiwanese soldiers trained to move quickly before China can strike them. U.S. commanders who developed this strategy call it a “hellscape”: overwhelming an invading force with waves of drones, missiles and artillery, and making an amphibious assault so risky that China’s leaders are deterred from trying.
Inspired by lessons from Ukraine and other recent war zones, Taiwan is now accelerating efforts to put that strategy into practice.
“Our drone and counter-drone efforts started relatively late, and initially we were trying things out as we went along,” Lt. Gen. Huang Wen-chi, the director general of strategic planning for the Taiwanese Defense Ministry, told a committee of lawmakers on Wednesday. That has begun to change over the past two years, he added.
On Thursday, Taiwan’s military allowed reporters to watch as troops in central Taiwan practiced using drones for reconnaissance, as part of the island’s annual Han Kuang military exercises, which began on Wednesday and will run for 10 days.
Maj. Gen. Lu Wen-yuan, who helped plan the exercises, said earlier that they would also train troops to take out enemy drones.
---
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit andlog intoyour Times account, orsubscribefor all of The Times.
---
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber?Log in.
Want all of The Times?Subscribe.
Related Content
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
Site Index
Site Information Navigation
* ©2026 The New York Times Company
* NYTCo
* Contact Us
* Accessibility
* Work with us
* Advertise
* T Brand Studio
* Privacy Policy
* Cookie Policy
* Terms of Service
* Terms of Sale
* Site Map
* Canada
* International
* Help
* Subscriptions
* Manage Privacy Preferences
Skip to contentSkip to site index
Asia Pacific
Today’s Paper
Russia-Ukraine War
* Ukraine’s Air Defenses
* Aerial Warfare
* Ukraine’s Killer Robot Program
* Photos
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.
Supported by
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
How a Drone ‘Hellscape’ Might Stop a Chinese Invasion of Taiwan
Inspired by Ukraine’s battlefield gains, Taiwan is betting on drones to deter a potential Chinese invasion.
Listen · 9:07 min
*
*
*
!Several people in camouflage military uniforms inspect a drone. One person kneels, working on the drone on a green surface.
*Members of Taiwan’s military operating a drone during the annual Han Kuang military exercises in Changhua, Taiwan on Thursday.
Credit...
Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times*
By
Chris Buckley and Amy Chang Chien
Reporting from Taipei, Taiwan
Aug. 9, 2026, 12:01 a.m. ET
See more of our coverage in your search results. Encuentra más de nuestra cobertura en los resultados de búsqueda. Add The New York Times on Google Agrega The New York Times en Google
To repel any future Chinese invasion, Taiwan is building fleets of flying drones and unmanned attack boats.
The goal is to use them to help locate and attack Chinese forces approaching the island, relying on Taiwanese soldiers trained to move quickly before China can strike them. U.S. commanders who developed this strategy call it a “hellscape”: overwhelming an invading force with waves of drones, missiles and artillery, and making an amphibious assault so risky that China’s leaders are deterred from trying.
Inspired by lessons from Ukraine and other recent war zones, Taiwan is now accelerating efforts to put that strategy into practice.
“Our drone and counter-drone efforts started relatively late, and initially we were trying things out as we went along,” Lt. Gen. Huang Wen-chi, the director general of strategic planning for the Taiwanese Defense Ministry, told a committee of lawmakers on Wednesday. That has begun to change over the past two years, he added.
On Thursday, Taiwan’s military allowed reporters to watch as troops in central Taiwan practiced using drones for reconnaissance, as part of the island’s annual Han Kuang military exercises, which began on Wednesday and will run for 10 days.
Maj. Gen. Lu Wen-yuan, who helped plan the exercises, said earlier that they would also train troops to take out enemy drones.
---
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit andlog intoyour Times account, orsubscribefor all of The Times.
---
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber?Log in.
Want all of The Times?Subscribe.
Related Content
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
Site Index
Site Information Navigation
* ©2026 The New York Times Company
* NYTCo
* Contact Us
* Accessibility
* Work with us
* Advertise
* T Brand Studio
* Privacy Policy
* Cookie Policy
* Terms of Service
* Terms of Sale
* Site Map
* Canada
* International
* Help
* Subscriptions
* Manage Privacy Preferences
🔗 Share Article
Tags:#تايوان#الصين#الطائرات بدون طيار#الدفاع#الاستراتيجية العسكرية#أوكرانيا
Source: New York Times
For Context
Related reads from the same topic or latest developments
