The army is considering buying 200 armed sea drones after the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology begins mass production in 2026, a source said yesterday.
The institute has said that it is developing armed target drones with sonar, radar and weapon modules, which would serve as multipurpose uncrewed boats that can perform coastal defense missions, strikes, and detect submarines and mines.
The army and navy have expressed interest in the uncrewed boat program, with the former estimating that it could use 200 of the vessels, a defense official familiar with the matter said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Photo: Screen grab from the institute’s Web site
The army believes that armed sea drones could effectively counter or deter Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy warships and landing craft near Taiwan, the official said.
Meanwhile, the navy believes it could use the drones to carry out raids against Chinese navy ships, they said, adding that the limited range of the autonomous watercraft could be improved by releasing them from larger naval vessels.
Sea drones, mainly those loaded with explosives to strike targets, are utilized extensively by the Ukrainian armed forces against Russians, with one reportedly sinking the Sergey Kotov on Sunday last week.
Photo: CNA
Meanwhile, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Vice President William Lai (賴清德), the president-elect, attended a ceremony marking the respective delivery and christening of the Coast Guard Administration’s 4,000-tonne Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels Yunlin and Taipei.
The event was held at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung.
Local media interpreted the presence of Tsai and Lai at the ceremony as a move to boost morale among coast guard officers amid political furor revolving around the capsizing last month of a Chinese boat attempting to evade the coast guard off Kinmen County. Two Chinese fishers died in the incident.
Tsai refrained from commenting on the incident and did not take questions from reporters, but said in her address that the coast guard has Taiwan’s thanks for “standing steadfast at their post and defending the nation’s sovereign waters.”
The construction of the patrol vessels — which have boosted the nation’s indigenous shipbuilding sector, economy and the coast guard’s capabilities — is part of the nation’s indigenous shipbuilding program, she said.
The domestic manufacturing of warships and patrol vessels is key to conveying Taiwan’s commitment to safeguarding freedom and democracy to the world, she added.
The Yunlin and Taipei are respectively the third and fourth ship of their class, a cutter-type vessel that displaces 5,000 tonnes when fully equipped with 70mm rockets, 20mm guns, water cannons, a helipad and a field hospital.
The government has set aside NT$42.6 billion (US$1.4 billion) for an initiative to boost the local shipbuilding industry and beef up Taiwan’s maritime patrol capacity.
According to the Ocean Affairs Council, 141 coast guard ships are to be built by 2027 under the initiative, which began in 2018.
Additional reporting by CNA
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old