Close dialogue1/5Next imagePrevious imageToggle captionPrint subscriptionsNewsletters Sign inUSUS editionUK editionAustralia editionEurope editionInternational editionThe Guardian - Back to homeThe GuardianNewsOpinionSportCultureLifestyleShow moreHide expanded menuNewsView all NewsUS newsUS politicsWorld Cup 2026World newsClimate crisisMiddle EastUkraineUS immigrationBusinessEnvironmentTechScienceNewslettersThe FilterWellnessOpinionView all OpinionThe Guardian viewColumnistsLettersOpinion videosCartoonsSportView all SportWorld Cup 2026SoccerNFLTennisMLBMLSNBAWNBANHLF1GolfCultureView all CultureFilmBooksMusicArt & designTV & radioStageClassicalGamesLifestyleView all LifestyleThe FilterWellnessFashionFoodRecipesLove & sexHome & gardenHealth & fitnessFamilyTravelMoneySearch input google-search SearchSupport usPrint subscriptionsNewslettersDownload the appSearch jobsDigital ArchiveGuardian LicensingLive eventsAbout UsThe Guardian appVideoPodcastsPicturesInside the GuardianGuardian WeeklyCrosswordsWordiplyCorrectionsTipsSearch input google-search SearchSearch jobsDigital ArchiveGuardian LicensingLive eventsAbout UsWorldEuropeUS newsAmericasAsiaAustraliaMiddle EastAfricaInequalityGlobal development Participants flying a drone at a Kuma Academy Drone training session in Taipei. Photograph: An Rong Xu/The GuardianView image in fullscreenParticipants flying a drone at a Kuma Academy Drone training session in Taipei. Photograph: An Rong Xu/The GuardianTaiwanInspired by Ukraine, and worried by China: Taiwan teaches its citizens how to fly dronesOrdinary Taiwanese, young and old, are joining courses to learn how to fly drones amid looming China military threat

Prefer the Guardian on GoogleIn a small, crowded room in Taipei, Pan Chien-chin is trying to keep a drone hovering steadily. Imagining himself flying a plane, he gently nudges controller joysticks to guide the insect-like device as it hums through the air.

Cheers break out as Pan, who has never flown a drone before, steers it around a rectangular course marked by traffic cones without crashing. Around him are about two dozen fellow trainees, all signed up for the same course: Taiwan’s first civil defence drone training programme.

“The war in Ukraine has really changed how drones are used,” says Pan, 48, a food company worker. “It’s like giving myself another skill, something I can use if it’s ever needed one day,” he adds.

View image in fullscreenTao Han, an instructor with Kuma Academy, teaches participants about drones. Photograph: An Rong Xu/The GuardianThe pioneering programme, launched in May, is another sign of Taiwan’s civil defence movement drawing lessons from Ukraine, where drones have played an increasingly critical role in pushing back the Russian invasion since 2022.

Tang Tsung-yi, a spokesperson at Kuma Academy, the civil defence NGO that runs the training, says the course helps beginner drone pilots understand the capabilities of drones on the battlefield.