A locally developed uncrewed aerial vehicle yesterday morning crashed into the ocean off southeastern Taiwan during a military mission.
There were no reports of injuries.
The Rui Yuan (銳鳶, Sharp Hawk) long-range surveillance drone, used by the Naval Maritime Tactical Reconnaissance Group, took off from a training field in Taitung County’s Taimali Township (太麻里) at 7:27am to perform a scouting mission, the Naval Fleet Command said in a statement.
Navy operators quickly noticed problems with the trajectory and movement of the drone, and were forced to land it in waters off Taimali eight minutes after takeoff to avoid potential casualties on land, it said.
The navy is investigating the cause of the malfunction with the Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, which developed the drone, the Naval Fleet Command said.
The drone was first spotted by local fishers about 12 nautical miles (22km) offshore, and they reported it to the coast guard, military sources said.
First commissioned in 2012, the Rui Yuans are used mostly in maritime surveillance and disaster relief missions.
Weighing 350kg with an 8.6m wingspan, they have a maximum speed of 180kph, a maximum flying altitude of 4,000m, and can stay in the air for up to 12 hours.
At least nine Rui Yuans have crashed since 2012, according to information compiled by the Central News Agency.
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