Taipei, May 19 (CNA) Taiwan's military on Thursday approved a project to install indigenous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) defense systems at 45 bases across the country, to neutralize hostile drone incursions, if necessary, according to a military source.

Under the five-year-project that runs until 2026, the defense ministry will spend NT$4.3 billion (US$146 million) to purchase the UAV defense systems, which were designed by Taiwan's National Chung Shan Institute of Science & Technology (NCSIST), the source told CNA on condition of anonymity.

The UAV defense systems will be installed at 45 air, naval, and missile bases throughout the country, including those in remote mountain areas and on Taiwan's outlying islands, the source said.

The system was designed to disrupt and neutralize drones engaged in hostile airborne surveillance and other potentially malicious activities, according to the NCSIST.

It is capable of remotely detecting, tracking, and classifying small UAVs, before giving the option to disrupt their activities, the NCSIST said.

Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR) has warned that Chinese drones could pose a significant threat to Taiwan's military, in the event of a cross-strait war.

China is already dominating the global consumer and commercial drone market, the INDSR said recently.