Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

This handout photograph taken between December 7-8, 2024 and released on December 9 by the Taiwan Coast Guard shows a crewmember on board a Taiwan Coast Guard ship monitoring a Chinese coast guard vessel in waters east of Taiwan.

This handout photograph taken between December 7-8, 2024 and released on December 9 by the Taiwan Coast Guard shows a crewmember on board a Taiwan Coast Guard ship monitoring a Chinese coast guard vessel in waters east of Taiwan. Handout/Taiwan Coast Guard via AFP

Article (news)

TAIWAN

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:958px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175015773768617338841221751733817765209AFP__20241209__36PW4VN__v1__HighRes__TaiwanChinaDefence.webp" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="This handout photograph taken between December 7-8, 2024 and released on December 9 by the Taiwan Coast Guard shows a crewmember on board a Taiwan Coast Guard ship monitoring a Chinese coast guard vessel in waters east of Taiwan. Handout/Taiwan Coast Guard via AFP"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">This handout photograph taken between December 7-8, 2024 and released on December 9 by the Taiwan Coast Guard shows a crewmember on board a Taiwan Coast Guard ship monitoring a Chinese coast guard vessel in waters east of Taiwan. <em>Handout/Taiwan Coast Guard via AFP</em></span></span></span></div><p style="text-align:left">YILAN, Taiwan — A Taiwanese-made sea drone capable of carrying bombs skimmed across waters off the island Tuesday in a display of uncrewed surface vehicles that could boost its military firepower against China.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/6/16/taking-lessons-from-ukraine-taiwan-eyes-sea-drones-vs-china-1230">Taking lessons from Ukraine, Taiwan eyes sea drones vs China</a></div><p>With Beijing sustaining military pressure on the island, Taiwan is increasing investment in aerial and maritime drones, which have been widely used in Russia&#x27;s war in Ukraine to outfox traditional heavy weaponry.</p><p>China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring it under its control.</p><p>Twelve local and foreign companies took part in an Uncrewed Sea Vehicle (USV) demonstration hosted by the government&#x27;s National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) in Yilan, southeast of Taipei.</p><p>It was an opportunity for &quot;potential clients such as the military and coast guard&quot; to collect data from the drone manufacturers for future mass production, the institute said in a statement.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/4/1/china-holds-large-scale-military-drills-around-taiwan-1629">China holds large-scale military drills around Taiwan</a></div><p>Taiwanese shipbuilder Lungteh&#x27;s Black Tide sea drone, which is designed to operate in &quot;contested environments&quot;, was one of three USVs put through its paces.</p><p>With a top speed of more than 43 knots (80 kilometers per hour; 50 miles per hour), the Black Tide can be used for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and &quot;one-way strike&quot;, according to the company.</p><p>Meanwhile, Carbon-Based Technology Inc&#x27;s &quot;stealth&quot; USV could carry bombs and was cheap enough to conduct &quot;sacrificial&quot; missions, said company director Stacy Yu after the drone was tested.</p><p>US defense technology company Auterion also signed a deal with Taiwan for its &quot;battle-tested&quot; operating system and swarming technology to be used in a new generation of military drones.</p><p>While President Lai Ching-te has pledged to make Taiwan &quot;the Asian hub&quot; for drone production, there have been challenges to ramping up the island&#x27;s output.</p><p>Taiwan&#x27;s annual production capacity for aerial drones is between 8,000 to 10,000 units, well below its 2028 target of 180,000 units, the Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET) said in a report on Monday.</p><p>High manufacturing costs from using non-China components made it &quot;difficult for Taiwanese products to compete with Chinese-made products in the commercial market&quot;, DSET analysts said.</p><p>And limited domestic orders and a scarcity of foreign government contracts were also impeding &quot;further scaling&quot; of production, it said.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ft3Pex8FG4M?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring it under its control.</p>

China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring it under its control.

Taiwan tests sea drones as China keeps up military pressure

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

World

Taiwan tests sea drones as China keeps up military pressure

Agence France-Presse

Published Jun 17, 2025 07:08 PM PHT

Read More:

China

Yilan

Taiwan

Taipei

conflict

sea drones

defense

war

Beijing

ANC

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.