Kratos seeks US clearance for Taiwan to locally build Mighty Hornet IV strike drones

Kratos Defense announced it is seeking US government authorization for Taiwan to begin local production of the jointly developed Mighty Hornet IV one-way strike drone. The jet-engine loitering munition, priced at US$500,000 per unit, can reach speeds of 0.7 to 0.85 Mach and is designed to engage high-speed targets. Under the partnership with the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, Kratos will initially produce airframes while Taiwan installs mission-critical sensors, navigation, electronic-warfare suites and warheads, later receiving assembly kits to expand its manufacturing capability.

The ultimate aim is to secure technology-transfer licences from the US Department of State for full-scale assembly lines in Taiwan, potentially leading to US orders once domestic mass-production is proven. Kratos also highlighted a parallel project on a stealth XQ-58 Valkyrie variant, which the US Marine Corps has selected and for which the company is bidding on a German “loyal wingman” contract. The article additionally reports the detention of two Jiin Ming Industry executives over prohibited Chinese components, rumors of a pneumonic plague spread, and a major BigBang concert at Taipei Dome.