Taiwan drills helicopter refueling amid growing drone threat lessons from Ukraine

During the Han Kuang exercise, Taiwan's 601st Air Cavalry Brigade practiced hot-refueling three helicopters at a forward site while counter-drone teams monitored the skies, reflecting concerns raised by Ukraine's drone-war experience.

Taiwan's Han Kuang war games featured a hot-refueling drill by the 601st Air Cavalry Brigade, where an Apache Guardian, a Black Hawk transport, and a Kiowa Warrior landed at a makeshift forward arming and refueling point by a lake in Taoyuan. Ground crews, equipped with 5.56mm rifles and a bulky anti-drone jammer developed by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, protected the aircraft while they took on fuel and ammunition, including re-arming the Kiowa with Hellfire missiles.

The scenario assumed blocked roads and disrupted ground supply, mirroring the vulnerability of helicopters to small quadcopter attacks observed in Ukraine, where drones have targeted rotors during refueling. Taiwanese analyst Chung Chieh observed that the island now favors dispersed, concealed helicopter deployments rather than large formations, but warned that mobile counter-drone capabilities remain limited to airfields and fixed sites.

Similar drone threats have emerged in other conflicts, such as Myanmar, underscoring the growing importance of protecting low-speed aerial assets. The drills, held in early to mid-August, simulate a Chinese invasion and involve coordinated land, sea, air, civilian and police forces across the island.