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.
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