Taiwan could begin mass production of maritime drones — an uncrewed surface vessel that resembles a speedboat — in 2026 if the craft developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology pass military tests, senior government officials said.
The government began developing applications of uncrewed vehicles after Ukraine used craft that can be remotely controlled to destroy Russian vessels.
The use of maritime drones makes it possible for the military to launch unexpected attacks in wartime and reduce personnel casualties, which can deter enemies, senior government officials said, adding that Taiwan has the ability to integrate uncrewed vehicles in the air, on land and under water to enhance its capabilities in reconnaissance, attacks and removing mines.
Photo: Screen grab from the institute’s Web site
The institute has recently updated the information on its Web site to say that an uncrewed target craft has been developed and used.
The target craft system is an uncrewed maritime vehicle that has remote control, preplanned routes and real-time video transmission, the institute said, adding that the craft’s functions include radio frequency simulators, radio frequency interference simulation systems, heaters, flame launchers and radar signal reflectors.
“The system has the ability to simulate radio frequency signals, interference signals, thermal radiation signals, and to scan cross-sectional areas of maritime targets. Multiple sets of target craft systems and project training courses would be combined in the military training to simulate various scenarios and effectively measure the weapon performance,” the institute said.
Radar, weapons, sonar and other modules in the target craft system can also be expanded to perform near-shore defense, attack, mine detection, submarine detection and other tasks, it said.
To counter China’s military threat, the institute has planned to invest NT$812 million (US$25.14 million) in building two uncrewed attack craft with different sizes and bomb loads, military sources said.
The remote guidance and control distance of the two uncrewed attack craft would be increased from 60km to 70km, they said.
Other sources said that attack drones built by the institute are already in mass production.
If the attack craft pass military combat tests, mass production should begin in 2026, they said, adding that the development and evaluation of uncrewed attack-type underwater vehicles are in progress.
In other developments, as the one-year compulsory conscription system is to be reimposed in January next year, the military has stepped up the production of personal combat equipment and individual weapon systems.
Taiwan’s army has purchased more than 100,000 Kestrel rocket launchers from the institute, military sources said.
Voluntary and compulsory service officers and soldiers serving in the anti-armor company of the ground forces and related units would get to experience using actual Kestrel rocket launchers to strengthen the nation’s anti-armor combat capability, they said.
Kestrel rockets are anti-armor individual rockets developed by the institute and adopt a disposable launch tube design that can reduce the burden on officers and soldiers. The rocket system costs about NT$100,000 per unit as massive production has driven down production costs. The rockets also have optical targeting and night vision functions to meet combat needs. Officers and soldiers can use anti-armor rockets or attack rockets, depending on the mission. Their maximum shooting range is 1,200m and the effective range is 400m. The attack rockets can penetrate a 30cm-thick brick wall.
US PUBLICATION: The results indicated a change in attitude after a 2023 survey showed 55 percent supported full-scale war to achieve unification, the report said More than half of Chinese were against the use of force to unify with Taiwan under any circumstances, a survey conducted by the Atlanta, Georgia-based Carter Center and Emory University found. The survey results, which were released on Wednesday in a report titled “Sovereignty, Security, & US-China Relations: Chinese Public Opinion,” showed that 55.1 percent of respondents agreed or somewhat agreed that “the Taiwan problem should not be resolved using force under any circumstances,” while 24.5 percent “strongly” or “somewhat” disagreed with the statement. The results indicated a change in attitude after a survey published in “Assessing Public Support for (Non)Peaceful Unification
The CIA has a message for Chinese government officials worried about their place in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) government: Come work with us. The agency released two Mandarin-language videos on social media on Thursday inviting disgruntled officials to contact the CIA. The recruitment videos posted on YouTube and X racked up more than 5 million views combined in their first day. The outreach comes as CIA Director John Ratcliffe has vowed to boost the agency’s use of intelligence from human sources and its focus on China, which has recently targeted US officials with its own espionage operations. The videos are “aimed at
‘MISGUIDED EDICT’: Two US representatives warned that Somalia’s passport move could result in severe retaliatory consequences and urged it to reverse its decision Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) has ordered that a special project be launched to counter China’s “legal warfare” distorting UN Resolution 2758, a foreign affairs official said yesterday. Somalia’s Civil Aviation Authority on Wednesday cited UN Resolution 2758 and Mogadishu’s compliance with the “one China” principle as it banned people from entering or transiting in the African nation using Taiwanese passports or other Taiwanese travel documents. The International Air Transport Association’s system shows that Taiwanese passport holders cannot enter Somalia or transit there. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) protested the move and warned Taiwanese against traveling to Somalia or Somaliland
SECURITY: Grassroots civil servants would only need to disclose their travel, while those who have access to classified information would be subject to stricter regulations The government is considering requiring legislators and elected officials to obtain prior approval before traveling to China to prevent Chinese infiltration, an official familiar with national security said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) in March announced 17 measures to counter China’s growing infiltration efforts, including requiring all civil servants to make trips to China more transparent so they can be held publicly accountable. The official said that the government is considering amending the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) to require all civil servants to follow strict regulations before traveling to China.
RSS