Recently, near the Yilan Wushi Fishing Port on the Pacific coast, a Taiwanese company is conducting tests on a potentially powerful yet inconspicuous new weapon – underwater drones.
These underwater drones, previously used by Ukraine in the Black Sea to counter Russia, are now being explored by Taiwan as an effective and low-cost weapon to deter Chinese invasion. These unmanned, remotely controlled small surface vessels can be armed with explosives to target ships and even airborne assets.
Driven by the United States, Taiwan has been striving to achieve military transformation to address “asymmetric warfare” by utilizing weapons with strong mobility, small size, and often cheaper but still capable of precision strikes, such as underwater drones.
Chen Guanting, a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator and member of the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, told Reuters, “Unmanned ships or vehicles played a very important role in the Ukraine conflict.”
“Whether unmanned ships or underwater drones, they can effectively deter China because Taiwan is not the aggressor, we are defending ourselves,” he said.
The National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology under Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense has named the underwater drone project “Fast and Curious Project,” with a current budget of approximately NT$800 million (about $26.77 million USD).
Minister of National Defense for the Republic of China, Gou Li-hsiung, stated on Wednesday, June 11th, that underwater drones and unmanned vessels will be included in the additional expenditure plan to be announced later this year.
The specifics of this special budget have not been disclosed yet.
Last week, Chen Guanru, Chairman of Thunder Tiger Technology Company, observed the testing of the company’s “SeaShark 800” unmanned vessel, which can carry 1200 kilograms of explosives and has a range of 500 kilometers, near the Wushi Port. He told Reuters that these new weapons will bring unexpected elements to China.
Next week, Thunder Tiger Technology Company will participate in an exhibition organized by the Ministry of National Defense near Wushi, along with 12 other Taiwanese and foreign companies, showcasing underwater unmanned vehicles that could be integrated into Taiwan’s arsenal.
According to the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China, participating companies include Taiwan Navy contractor Lungteh Shipbuilding and U.S. military shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII).
“Unmanned drones are a priority development area for the U.S. and Taiwan. Clearly, the Ukraine conflict has led people to start thinking about the shape of the next generation of warfare,” said Rupert Hammond, President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan. He is currently leading a U.S. defense industry delegation, including drone manufacturers, on a visit to Taiwan.
Over the past five years, China has increased military pressure on Taiwan, including conducting six rounds of military exercises. China’s escalating military intimidation has raised alarms in Taiwan and the international community.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Taiwan has been studying how Ukraine successfully deployed drones to neutralize Russia’s battlefield advantage, and has engaged commercial drone companies including Thunder Tiger Technology for assistance.
The underwater drones deployed by Ukraine not only successfully sank Russian Black Sea fleet ships but also shot down their aircraft.
Peter Chen, Executive Director of the Taiwan Tactical and Technical Research and Development Association (TTRDA) and an expert on drones, stated that Taiwan undeniably has the capability to produce world-class underwater drones.
“However, in terms of application, it is not the responsibility of private enterprises to transform them into top-notch weaponry. How to correctly integrate weapons into combat strategies is a matter that requires careful consideration by the government and the military,” he said.
(This article referenced reports from Reuters)