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Taiwan wants to buy India's D4 anti-drone system? Taiwanese official calls reports ‘unconfirmed'
In a statement to Firstpost, Taipei Economic and Cultural Center has clarified that the island nation has not released any official statement confirming its interest in India's D4 anti-drone system read more
Last week, several media outlets reported that Taiwan has shown interest in purchasing India's state-of-the-art D4 anti-drone system, developed by the Defence Research and Developed Organisation (DRDO) and manufactured by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). The reports suggested that Taiwan's interest in the D4 system grew following its success in the Operation Sindoor where it jammed and neutralised Pakistani drones, including Turkish-supplied Bayraktar TB2 drones.
Clarification from Taiwan
However, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC) in India has now clarified that the country's Ministry of National Defense has not released any official statement corroborating the same. The TECC in a statement to Firstpost stated that the Taiwanese government has not released any statement confirming any such interest.
'While these news reports have circulated, there has been no official corroboration from Taipei. Officials in Taiwan have not publicly commented on any potential defense acquisitions from India, including the D4 anti-drone system,' said Col. Huang Ming Chieh of TECC.
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The statement also added that details regarding D4 anti-drone system's operational deployment and specific successes were not confirmed by the government of India and were only reported by media outlets.
'Details regarding its operational deployment and specific successes, including those attributed to 'Operation Sindoor,' are based on media reporting and have not been officially detailed by the Indian government,' it added.
While the TECC didn't reject the reports in Indian media, it also refused to confirm them.
'Therefore, based on the current information available from official Taiwanese channels, the reports of an impending purchase of the Indian D4 anti-drone system by Taiwan remain unconfirmed. The TECC's statement underscores the lack of any official communication or planning regarding such a defense procurement,' said Huang in the statement.
Significance of India-Taiwan defence ties
A successful agreement with Taiwan could foster enhanced defence collaboration, possibly involving joint development of cutting-edge counter-drone systems.
Moreover, amid China's assertive actions in the Indo-Pacific, India's strategic engagement with Taiwan could act as a vital counterbalance, transforming the region's security landscape.