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.
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
CHIP WAR: The new restrictions are expected to cut off China’s access to Taiwan’s technologies, materials and equipment essential to building AI semiconductors Taiwan has blacklisted Huawei Technologies Co (華為) and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC, 中芯), dealing another major blow to the two companies spearheading China’s efforts to develop cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) chip technologies. The Ministry of Economic Affairs’ International Trade Administration has included Huawei, SMIC and several of their subsidiaries in an update of its so-called strategic high-tech commodities entity list, the latest version on its Web site showed on Saturday. It did not publicly announce the change. Other entities on the list include organizations such as the Taliban and al-Qaeda, as well as companies in China, Iran and elsewhere. Local companies need
CRITICISM: It is generally accepted that the Straits Forum is a CCP ‘united front’ platform, and anyone attending should maintain Taiwan’s dignity, the council said The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said it deeply regrets that former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) echoed the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) “one China” principle and “united front” tactics by telling the Straits Forum that Taiwanese yearn for both sides of the Taiwan Strait to move toward “peace” and “integration.” The 17th annual Straits Forum yesterday opened in Xiamen, China, and while the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) local government heads were absent for the first time in 17 years, Ma attended the forum as “former KMT chairperson” and met with Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Chairman Wang Huning (王滬寧). Wang
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors