Hellscape Taiwan: A Porcupine Defense in the Drone Age

Taiwan's current "porcupine" defense strategy is inadequate because it still relies on expensive, vulnerable platforms rather than a truly asymmetric approach. A new concept called "Hellscape" proposes defending the island by creating a layered gauntlet of tens of thousands of cheap, autonomous drones and uncrewed systems. Invading forces would face cascading waves of attacks, starting with long-range drones in the middle of the strait and intensifying with minefields and short-range swarms closer to shore. The ultimate goal is to inflict overwhelming attrition and grind an invasion to a halt before troops can establish a foothold on the beaches.