The War Of Attrition: How Taiwan's Thunder Tiger Plans To Mass Produce Suicide Drones

Chen Kuan-ju (陳冠如), chairman of the Taiwanese manufacturing company Thunder Tiger, recently revealed that the company is developing a new kamikaze attack drone. Named "Iron Triangle" in Chinese and "Papa Delta" in English, the unmanned aerial vehicle is modeled on the American military's LUCAS drone, which was itself reverse-engineered from the Iranian Shahed 136.

Chen disclosedThunder Tiger's development plans during a panel session on drones held at a forum hostedby the Formosa Republican Association on April 11.

Pointing to Ukraine's massive annual production of four million drones to counter Russian forces, Chen argued that military drones only need to be operationally sufficient rather than perfectly engineered and correspondingly should be viewed as more akin to ammunition than artillery. 

To meet such high production numbers as seen in Ukraine for potential future arms contracts, Chen stressed that Taiwan must phase out manual production methods.

​"The world knows how versatile drones are. The question is how to stand out on the battlefield. Everyone understands that modern warfare is a war of attrition — and for attrition warfare, you must have domestic companies investing so that production can be industrialized and automated," Chen said.

He noted that Thunder Tiger is aggressively scaling up automated production, aiming to undercut the price tag of the LUCAS, which costs around $35,000 per unit, compared with roughly $50,000 for the original Iranian Shahed 136, by manufacturing the weapons locally in Taiwan.

Unlike the LUCAS, which uses composite materials and fiberglass, the Iron Triangle is built from stamped aluminum alloy, a cost‑cutting approach derived from yacht‑manufacturing techniques.

Chen traced this manufacturing capability to Thunder Tiger's 2024 investment in Taiwanese shipbuilder Ko‑Jian Aluminum Boats, where the company became the largest shareholder with a 60 percent stake. Ko‑Jian brings more than 30 years of sheet‑metal experience from the automotive sector, giving Thunder Tiger a mature industrial foundation for large‑scale aluminum stamping of airframes.

Summarizing how Taiwanese firms can compete for future drone contracts, Chen said manufacturers will ultimately be judged on three factors: price, performance, and delivery time.

Addressing the demands of modern battlefields, Chen argued that navigating a war of attrition requires robust domestic investment in industrialized, automated manufacturing rather than boutique engineering.

Responding to audience questions about the application of artificial intelligence in military drones, Chen said AI is used for target acquisition, tracking, and ground obstacle avoidance.

On obstacle avoidance specifically, he explained: "A loitering munition uses its camera to process data, lock onto a target, and avoid obstacles during flight. Once the target is locked, it severs communication with the operator and proceeds directly to impact."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is supporting private enterprises' efforts through its newly formed Drone Diplomacy Task Force. The task force's executive director, Charlie Chiang (江振瑋), highlighted how a Czech manufacturer rapidly evolved into a full-spectrum military drone company through direct battlefield feedback obtained during the ongoing Ukraine conflict.

To help local companies emulate that model of integrating front‑line requirements into early design and scaling for export, Chiang announced plans to establish an international drone academy in Taiwan.

The ministry also intends to host a major international symposium in mid‑2026, bringing together experienced drone manufacturers from the United States, Poland, and the Czech Republic. The initiative aims to ensure Taiwanese manufacturers can absorb the latest combat lessons and plug into emerging global defense supply chains. （Related： Taiwan's TPU Leader DingZing Signals Rebound: March Sales Jump 40% Despite Global Logistics Headwinds ｜ Latest ）