Taking lessons from Ukraine Taiwan eyes sea drones to counter China

WUSHI, Taiwan – Just off the small fishing port of Wushi on Taiwan’s Pacific coast, a Taiwanese company is testing what could eventually be a powerful but unglamorous new weapon in the island’s military arsenal – sea drones.

Used to great effect by Ukraine in the Black Sea against Russia, Taiwan is learning lessons on how it could use sea drones as an effective and low-cost way to fend off any possible Chinese invasion.

These drones are uncrewed, remotely controlled small vessels that are packed with explosives and can be guided towards ships or potentially even attack targets in the air.

Pushed by the United States, Taiwan has been working to transform its armed forces to be able to wage “asymmetric warfare”, using mobile, smaller and often cheaper weapons that still pack a targeted punch, like sea drones.

“Uncrewed boats or vehicles have played a very significant role in the Ukraine war,” said Mr Chen Kuan-ting, a lawmaker for Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP),who sits on Parliament’s foreign affairs and defence committee.

Uncrewed vehicles, whether they are boats or underwater vehicles, can effectively deter China because Taiwan is not the attacking side, we are the defending side, he told Reuters.

The defence ministrys research and development arm, the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, has termed the sea drone plan the Swift and Sudden project, which so far has a modest budget of around NT$800 million (S$34.7 million).

Defence Minister Wellington Koo said on June 11 that sea drones would be included in an additional spending package to be unveiled later in 2025. Details of that special budget have yet to be announced.

Mr William Chen, chairman of the Thunder Tiger company, told Reuters last week on a boat off Wushi – while viewing a test of