The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST) yesterday inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with US-based Saronic Technologies to jointly develop modular uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) to augment Taiwanese capabilities to produce high-level artificial intelligence (AI) control systems for USVs.
The MOU with Saronic Technologies and Maritime Tactical Systems (MarTac) would reduce development time and diversify high-end technology sources, government officials said on the condition of anonymity.
The government would also diversify its USV manufacturing to ensure that multiple companies could rapidly produce USVs in times of emergency, the source said.
Photo courtesy of the institute via CNA
Citing the Ministry of National Defense’s proposed special budget, the source said the Armaments Bureau’s Materiel Production Center would take point for domestic procurement and integration of all pyrotechnic-related processes to procure 1,320 suicide USVs.
The number of procured vessels would not include vessels required by the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) or other departments, according to the budget.
The USVs must be stealth-capable, with a remote-control range of 40km or above, and an operational range of 250 nautical miles (463km), while being capable of carrying large amounts of explosives or reconnaissance systems, it said.
The source said the institute in September last year inked an MOU with MarTac to develop technologies enabling USVs to perform AI-based target identification and tracking, autonomous interception, protective barrier deployment, synchronized operations among multiple vessels, avoidance of maritime surface obstacles, kinetic interception and autonomous tactical decisionmaking.
The technologies would allow USVs to support CGA operations during peacetime and reduce the personnel allotment, ensuring the CGA can transition to a wartime footing in the event of an invasion, the source said.
The MOU inked with Saronic chief executive officer Kostadino George Mavrookas yesterday would allow both sides to share knowledge on command-and-control systems software, ship design, system integration and the development of autonomous USV supply chains, the source said.
CSIST-developed Kuai Chi USVs, which completed sea trials last year, could see a drastic reduction in manufacturing overhead with the introduction of Saronic software and components, the institute said.
The CSIST-Saronic MOU would foster domestic shipbuilding while ensuring that Taiwan’s electronics and software industries establish a foothold in global national defense supply chains, it added.
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
A white king snake that frightened passengers and caused a stir on a Taipei MRT train on Friday evening has been claimed by its owner, who would be fined, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. A person on Threads posted that he thought he was lucky to find an empty row of seats on Friday after boarding a train on the Bannan (Blue) Line, only to spot a white snake with black stripes after sitting down. Startled, he jumped up, he wrote, describing the encounter as “terrifying.” “Taipei’s rat control plan: Release snakes on the metro,” one person wrote in reply, referring
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
An inauguration ceremony was held yesterday for the Danjiang Bridge, the world’s longest single-mast asymmetric cable-stayed bridge, ahead of its official opening to traffic on Tuesday, marking a major milestone after nearly three decades of planning and construction. At the ceremony in New Taipei City attended by President William Lai (賴清德), Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) and New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜), the bridge was hailed as both an engineering landmark and a long-awaited regional transport link connecting Tamsui (淡水) and Bali (八里)
RSS