Thunder Tiger’s Overkill drones marked the first Asian models to clear the Pentagon’s Blue Uncrewed Aircraft Systems list, opening doors for commercial drones in U.S. military operations. The FPV units cost $3,000 to $5,000 each, mirroring the FPV craft seen on Ukrainian battlefields. Their entry signals a shift in how the U.S. sources drone tech.

Thunder Tiger has rolled out larger kamikaze drones starting at $30,000, modeled after the U.S. LUCAS one‑way attack platform. LUCAS itself traces back to Iran’s Shahed family, which Russia and Iran deploy in bulk. By adopting this reverse‑engineered design, Taiwan’s makers offer a cheaper, readily producible strike option that echoes battlefield trends in recent conflicts.

Chung‑Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) produced a attack drone modeled on Harpy. Taiwanese firms ship flight controllers, batteries, motors and microelectronics to Ukraine, while Czechia and Poland recently export thousands of Taiwanese drones that reach Ukraine. Thunder Tiger supplies parts to three companies in the U.S. Department of Defense’s $1 billion Drone Dominance Program.

In 2026, Thunder Tiger opened a U.S. factory in Ohio capable of producing more than 60,000 drone motors annually, said Gene Su, manager, in Spectrum interview. Leveraging its hardware prowess, the firm buys AI software from Auterion and partners with Anduril and Shield AI to embed smarter flight control, keeping Taiwanese drones competitive on market.