US, Taiwan, China race to improve military drone technology  

FILE - A Phantom 4, developed by Chinese consumer drone maker DJI, is pictured during a demonstration flight in Tokyo, March 3, 2016. Washington, Beijing and Taipei are working to improve the sophistication, adaptability and cost of drone technology. FILE - An FPV (first person view) drone and additional equipment are seen at a training facility for military FPV drone pilots, at an undisclosed location in Zhytomyr region, Ukraine, Sept. 14, 2023. FILE - British soldiers launch a drone during exercises at Fort Irwin, Calif., Nov. 4, 2022. Taiwan, U.S. and Chinese planners are readying themselves for combat featuring air and sea drones. (Defense Visual Information Distribution Service via AP)

This week, as Taiwan was preparing for the start of its Han Kuang military exercises, its air defense system detected a Chinese drone circling the island. This was the sixth time that China had sent a drone to operate around Taiwan since 2023.