By Jia Feimao | 2025-07-18

In a bid to reshape its maritime defenses and deter Chinese aggression, Taiwan is preparing to procure large numbers of domestically produced uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) next year, turning to technologies inspired by Ukraine's battlefield innovations and tailored for the island's asymmetric strategy.

These remotely controlled small vessels can be packed with explosives and guided toward ships or potentially even attack targets in the air.

One example is Thunder Tiger Technology's Sea Shark 800, a high-speed aluminum USV capable of swarm operations.

Capable of reaching speeds over 50 knots and a range of 600km, the Sea Shark is designed to carry 1,200 to 1,500kg and features user-friendly controls for ease of use and fast deployment.

These capabilities can fundamentally alter the calculus for Chinese invasion plans, said its developer, William Chen.

"We can create uncertainty. We can fill the Taiwan Strait with danger and risks. No one knows where these dangers could surface," he told Reuters in mid-June.

Following Ukraine's success in using unmanned sea drones to cripple Russia's Black Sea Fleet, Taiwan has been racing to adapt similar technologies.

"Blocking enemy forces at sea and avoiding land battles are Taiwan's best defensive tactics," Su Tzu-yun, director of the Strategic and Resources Research Division at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, told Focus.

Suicide USVs, paired with multiple launch rocket systems like the Thunderbolt-2000 and High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), could pose a threat to Chinese landing operations that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) cannot afford to ignore, he said.

"Uncrewed vehicles, whether they are boats or underwater vehicles, can effectively deter China because Taiwan is not the attacking side; we are the defending side," said Chen Kuan-ting, a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker and member of Taiwan's foreign affairs and defense committee, in an interview with Reuters.

Testing technology

At a recent demonstration off Su'ao in northeastern Taiwan, three Taiwanese firms showcased their USVs' capabilities in June, including Thunder Tiger, Lungteh Shipbuilding and Carbon-Based Technology.

The event, while marred by intermittent control losses reportedly due to low-orbit satellite bandwidth issues, highlighted the momentum behind Taiwan's growing unmanned fleet, according to the Military Media.

Lungteh Shipbuilding, a contractor for the Ministry of National Defense's "Swift and Sudden" (Kuaiqi) project, exhibited the Kuroshio USV -- a high-speed, stealth-capable vessel with a range of 250km.

The Kuaiqi program, supported by an 800 million NTD ($27.2 million) budget, is expected to complete testing this year and could enter mass production as early as 2025.

Meanwhile, Carbon-Based Technology's Carbon Voyager 1 is built with aerospace-grade carbon fiber composite, giving it a lightweight, strong, and durable hull.

It can carry over 100kg of mission equipment, reach a top speed of 32 knots, and has a maximum range of 120km.

To accelerate development, Taiwan's National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) has partnered with American defense firm Auterion to integrate battlefield-proven drone software into new USV designs.

The institute aims to deepen artificial intelligence integration, enabling autonomous navigation, intelligent decision-making and optimized performance in complex maritime environments, as reported by Taiwan's Central News Agency.

A top priority

"Drones are a top priority for both the United States and Taiwan," said Rupert Hammond-Chambers, president of the US-Taiwan Business Council, who recently led a US defense industry delegation to Taiwan.

"Obviously, the conflict in Ukraine is focusing minds on what the next generation of warfare will look like," he said.

Taiwan's navy remains vastly outmatched by China's in size and firepower, but USVs offer a way to exploit geography and technology to level the playing field.

Taiwan can build world-class sea drones, said Peter Chen, executive director of the Taiwan Tactical Research and Development Association.

"But when it comes to the application, how to turn them into top-notch weapons, it is not the responsibility of private companies. The views of government and the military on how to properly integrate the weapons into the battle strategy, that needs more thinking," he said.

Beyond wartime roles, USVs can support reconnaissance during peacetime, helping compensate for radar limitations, said Su Tzu-yun.

As part of Taiwan's asymmetric warfare strategy, these low-profile platforms offer cost-effective ways to monitor maritime activity and respond to gray-zone threats.

After several recent cases of Chinese nationals on rubber boats evading detection, Taiwan's coast guard has acknowledged its interest in USVs to close radar blind spots and provide real-time visual data from sea level.

Despite technical hiccups, the direction is clear. Taiwan's defense posture is increasingly shaped by the lessons of modern war: small, smart and made at home.