Latest news with #EndeavorManta
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Taiwan, Late To The Drone Boat Game, To Hold Major Capability Test
Faced with the growing threat of an invasion by the People's Republic of China (PRC), Taiwanese military and industrial leaders will hold a two-day demonstration of uncrewed surface vessels (USVs). Scheduled for June 17 and June 18, the demonstration is designed to help speed up the island nation's maritime drone production, a spokesman for the Taiwanese Defense Ministry said. The move comes amid a surprising dearth of Taiwanese USVs, also known as drone boats, despite warnings from U.S. and Taiwanese officials that China could feel confident in its ability to launch a successful armed intervention against Taiwan by 2027, if not earlier. Such a conflict, as we previously reported, 'would likely become a huge drone war, with China also having made its own substantial investments in loitering munitions and swarming technologies in recent years. Chinese drones are proliferating in the air, on the ground, and at sea, and everything points to the mass use of uncrewed systems being a deciding factor in a conflict between Taiwan and China, something that has been enforced by the lessons of influential war games.' The drone boat demonstration will be hosted by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), Taiwan's top military research organization. It will take part in two phases, according to NCIST. 'Participating companies will first showcase their technologies through static displays featuring models, video presentations, and equipment exhibits at Lungteh Shipbuilding's Plant No. 6 facility,' the Taiwanese TVBS news outlet reported. 'The program will then transition to live operational demonstrations at the Jiugongli Viewing Platform, where manufacturers will establish shoreline control stations to direct unmanned vessels through real-world missions including surveillance operations and long-distance navigation tests.' The goal is to inform future military procurement specifications to expand Taiwan's drone boat fleet, the outlet noted. 'The initiative represents a significant milestone in Taiwan's broader strategy to modernize its naval defense capabilities amid regional security challenges,' TVBS posited. Spurred in part by the success of Ukraine's drone boat development, Taiwan is starting to build its own USVs. In March, we reported that Taiwan unveiled a domestically produced drone boat called the Endeavor Manta. Somewhat surprisingly, this was said to be the first of its kind to have been developed. Endeavor Manta's existence was disclosed by Taiwan's China Shipbuilding Corporation (CSBC Corp.), which produces ships and submarines for military and civilian use, during a launch event held in the port of Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan. The event included a demonstration of the USV's at-sea capabilities. You can read more about that USV and its specifications in our original story here. NCSIST is also developing its own attack drone boat called the Kuai Chi. Details about its specifications are sparse. 'Although appearing similar to USVs being produced by private manufacturers, the Kuai Chi attack drone boat's internal guidance and control systems as well as other core technologies, are developed and produced entirely in-house by the NCSIST, ' Taiwan's CNA news agency reported. The Kuai Chi will not take part in the NCSIST demonstration. That's 'due to the sensitive nature of the project,' Sun Chun-ching, an official with the Systems Development Center at the NCSIST, told reporters during a Ministry of National Defense (MND) briefing on Wednesday. The Kuai Chi will likely undergo separate combat evaluations next month, according to CNA. Following that, the USV will be 'demonstrated to the military during a precision live-fire missile drill at Jiupeng Base in Pingtung County in August,' CNA suggested. The planned demonstration 'will simulate a battlefield scenario where the NCSIST drone boat engages various surface targets.' If those trials are successful, the Kuai Chi could be introduced to the public during the Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition in September, Sun added. The NCSIST demonstration will feature several drone boats being developed by private industry, Sun explained. 12 firms will enter the June USV demonstration in Yilan, Taiwan, with 4 live demonstrations (Thunder Tiger, Carbon-Based Technologies, Corum, and Lung Teh) and 8 additional static displays (JetSea AI, GEOSAT, Robuff, Ocean Aero, MARTAC, DSRG, Auterion, and HII).(Up Media) — Taiwan Defense News Tracker (@TaiwansDefense) May 28, 2025 All this comes as Taiwan is planning to build out its first-ever army drone units later this year, The Wall Street Journal reported. It is part of a broader push to modernize its forces amid escalating threats from China. The move builds on a similar initiative by the country's Marine Corps, which has already converted several tank and artillery battalions into drone units, Defense Minister Wellington Koo told the Journal. The step reflects Taiwan's growing focus on asymmetric warfare, leveraging smaller, more innovative, and more agile systems to counter the overwhelming scale of Beijing's military in the event of an invasion. 'It would be best if China wakes up every day feeling like 'today's just not the day to invade,'' Koo stated. Beyond concerns about a full-on invasion of Taiwan in the next two years, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) recently suggested that the PRC could also try to squeeze Taiwan by attacking two small islands close to the mainland. 'China possesses a variety of military options to coerce Taiwan, including increasing the frequency and scope of China's military presence operations, air and maritime blockades, seizure of Taiwan's smaller outlying islands, joint firepower strikes, and a full-scale amphibious invasion of Taiwan,' the DIA said in its 2025 Worldwide Threat Assessment released earlier this month. Ukraine has proven the value of asymmetrical weapons like drone boats, having largely pinned down Russia's Black Sea Fleet and taken out fixed and rotary aviation with its fleet of USVs. You can see a documentary about Ukraine's sea drone effort below. While Ukraine has a very well-developed drone boat fleet, Taiwan has yet to field any operationally. It remains to be seen whether Taipei's growing urgency about its own drone boat development will provide a viable threat to China within the projected timelines of a potential PRC attack. While these small explosive-laden drone boats have their tactical disadvantages, they are uniquely well suited to making an invasion of Taiwan much harder for the Beijing's forces. Defending against them is possible in many circumstances, but doing so takes resources and attention, and can limit a ship's maneuvering. They also pose a threat to shore targets, like ships at dock and harbor facilities. When working in numbers, the proposition of stopping them becomes much harder. Taiwan could flood the channel with these weapons as one measure to at least slow a cross-channel invasion operation and increase its 'cost,' which serves as a different. While line-of-sight and satellite datalinks to control these boats can be disrupted via electronic warfare, which China's is increasingly adept at, and can help in an enemy's detection of their presence, the infusion of basic artificial intelligence will make those communications unnecessary in the near future. That is if the user is willing to accept the moral implications of allowing autonomous weapons to choose their own targets. This would make defending against these types of vessel much more challenging, leaving hard kill as the only option once they are deployed. Taken as a whole, it is somewhat concerning that Taiwan hasn't done everything possible to procure lethal drone boats, especially considering their relevance in a cross-strait conflict and their area-denial performance in the Black Sea. It also fits directly with the U.S. vision of turning the strait into a kamikaze drone 'hellscape,' not just to inflict damage on China's Navy in a war there, but to deter one from starting. So, this seems to be a case of better late than never, and this exercise should help spur further growth in this sector. But even then, Taiwan needs to get very serious about procuring these capabilities quickly, potentially including from external sources. Contact the author: howard@
Asia Times
28-03-2025
- Asia Times
Endeavor Manta: Taiwan's USV aims to hold China invasion at bay
Taiwan's first indigenous armed sea drone marks a significant step toward building asymmetric warfare capabilities amid the growing threat of kinetic Chinese action. This month, multiple media outlets reported that Taiwan's state-backed shipbuilder CSBC Corporation unveiled its first domestically developed military-grade uncrewed surface vehicle (USV), the Endeavor Manta, at Kaohsiung's Singda Harbor. This marks a significant step in Taipei's efforts to develop asymmetric warfare capabilities amid mounting tensions with China. Designed to operate in the Taiwan Strait, the trimaran-hulled vessel measures 8.6 meters in length and 3.7 meters in width and is constructed from fiber-reinforced plastic to ensure high maneuverability and seaworthiness. It boasts a top speed of 35 knots and can carry over one metric ton of payload, including light torpedoes and explosives. Drawing inspiration from Ukraine's use of USVs against Russia's Black Sea Fleet, CSBC began developing the Manta in early 2024. The vessel features multiple remote communication modes—4G, radio frequency and satellite—and boasts advanced capabilities, including AI-assisted targeting, autonomous navigation, collision avoidance and swarm control. It is programmed to return to base or self-destruct if compromised. Aside from foreign-sourced satellite and motor components, all systems are locally produced. The Mantra's rollout underscores Taiwan's emphasis on indigenous defense innovation and signals a shift toward cost-effective, unmanned platforms amid growing Chinese military assertiveness. Delving deeper into the possible tactical roles of Taiwan's Manta USV, Scott Savitz mentions in a January 2023 RAND commentary that USVs can be more dangerous to surface ships than aerial weapons, as they strike at the waterline and carry explosive payloads that are much heavier than those of the latter type. Savitz says swarms of low-profile USVs, difficult to detect and counter, could overwhelm the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) fleet. He notes that they could also complement naval minefields, forcing an enemy fleet to adopt slower and more vulnerable formations. Additionally, he says USVs could deliver incendiary materials or loitering munitions for further damage. Further, Eric Rosenbach and other writers mention in a February 2025 Belfer Center report that USVs are envisioned to perform long-duration missions with minimal logistical support, including intelligence gathering, mine laying and electronic warfare in environments too hazardous for manned platforms. Rosenbach and others say these systems would operate autonomously in denied electromagnetic environments, where PLA electronic warfare would hinder remote control. Karl Flynn mentions in a November 2021 Proceedings article that USVs could be used for resupply purposes. USVs enable redundancy and simultaneous resupply of distributed forces, which is particularly useful in environments such as Taiwan's frontline islands, including Kinmen and Matsu. However, as with the Ukraine war, Taiwan's USVs may not be the war-winning wonder weapon some may tout them to be. For instance, USVs lack the range, endurance, durability, firepower and versatility of manned warships; however, their unmanned nature and lower cost somewhat offset these disadvantages. Additionally, their lack of crew means there is no way to repair them if they encounter technical issues in a maritime environment. Sea spray and salinity could affect sensitive electronics and machinery. While Taiwan's Manta has a self-destruct mechanism, the possibility of a defective unit being captured and analyzed, with its cryptographic keys being compromised, remains. At the operational level, Stacie Pettyjohn and other writers mention in a June 2024 report for the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) that a defense of Taiwan presumes it could not match China ship for ship to repel an invasion, but must instead rely on a 'porcupine strategy' built on numerous smaller, easily concealed weapons, such as USVs, to increase the costs of such aggression. Pettyjohn and others say that suicide USVs carrying large explosive payloads are capable of damaging large warships and can be led to their targets by aerial drones or other USVs collecting intelligence. They also suggest that Taiwan could deploy USVs to provide early warning about an invading fleet's progress and identify vulnerable troop transports. In addition, they say USVs can lay minefields that could channel an invasion fleet into 'kill zones,' where it is vulnerable to air- and shore-based missile strikes. However, Taiwan's drone industry is a work in progress. In a December 2024 article for The Strategist, Jane Rickards notes that Taiwan is aware of China's significant lead in drone production, yet still hopes to catch up. Rickards quotes Su Tzu-Yun of Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR), who says that Taiwanese drone makers tend to excel in hardware but are relatively weak in design and system integration. Further, she quotes Richard Weir, vice president for global strategy and government relations for IMSAR, a US manufacturer of sophisticated radars, who states that Taiwanese drone makers tend not to identify missions, weapons and sensors for the drones before they're designed. Additionally, Harun Ayanoglu mentions in a January 2025 article for the Central European Institute of Asian Studies (CEIAS) that Taiwan faces challenges in scaling up its drone industry. Ayanoglu notes that, unlike Turkey and Israel, Taiwan cannot export its drones to active combat zones due to political constraints, depriving its manufacturers of operational feedback and revenue. At the strategic level, Taiwan's drone efforts do not change the fact that US military intervention would be critical for the self-governing island's survival in the event of a Chinese invasion. US policy over Taiwan hinges on 'strategic ambiguity,' but such may only mask indecisiveness over the issue. Jennifer Kavanagh and Stephen Wertheim mention in a February 2025 Foreign Policy article that direct US military intervention could result in catastrophic human and economic costs, including potential nuclear escalation. The writers note that the US faces pressure to defend Taiwan to maintain its credibility, but such a move risks provoking China and escalating tensions. They also point out that Taiwan's defense strategy is inadequate, relying on vulnerable big-ticket items such as frigates and fighter jets rather than asymmetric capabilities. They say the US aims to help Taiwan defend itself without becoming overly involved in a larger conflict, relying on strategic ambiguity and support from regional allies to navigate these complexities. However, Michael Schiffer argues in a Financial Times (FT) article this month that US strategic ambiguity over Taiwan has lost effectiveness as China escalates its coercive campaign through military intimidation, diplomatic isolation and economic entanglement. Schiffer contends that China no longer fears uncertain US retaliation, while Taipei grows increasingly anxious over inconsistent signals, especially amid the volatility of Trump's foreign policy. He argues that the US's focus on military deterrence is inadequate against China's integrated strategy. To restore deterrence and regional stability, he says the US must adopt strategic clarity, detailing the consequences of Chinese aggression while reinforcing diplomatic, economic and informational support for Taiwan without breaching the 'One China' framework.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Taiwan has a new all-purpose sea attack drone after watching how Ukraine smashed Russia's Black Sea Fleet
Taiwan has a new sea drone that it says can fire torpedoes or ram enemies with explosives. It's a small versatile craft that adds to Taipei's arsenal for countering a Chinese invasion. Its manufacturer said the Endeavor Manta was inspired by Ukraine's success against the Black Sea Fleet. A Taiwanese shipbuilding firm has debuted a new uncrewed surface vessel that it said was inspired by Ukraine's attacks on Russia's Black Sea Fleet. Named the Endeavor Manta, the 28-foot-long sea drone is meant to fire light torpedoes and ram into targets with explosives on its bow, the Taiwan International Shipbuilding Corporation, or CSBC, said on Tuesday. The drone's debut comes as Taiwan has pushed hard into designing, purchasing, and building more uncrewed vehicles to potentially counter any aggression from China. Should Beijing seek to take the self-governed island by force, the effort would likely require sending troops on a perilous amphibious assault across the 110-mile Taiwan Strait. CSBC said the Endeavor Manta was built with versatility in mind: It's designed to be launched at any port or beach in Taiwan and can be carried on the back of a commercial truck. The firm touted the Endeavor Manta as an all-purpose platform that can be used as a port inspector, loitering munition, drone jammer, mine-hunter, recon vehicle, decoy, short-range air defense, or even a mothership for smaller drones. "In severe weather or maritime accidents, it assists with firefighting, search and rescue, and emergency supply transportation," the firm added, publishing a concept image of the drone spitting water on a burning ship. Per CSBC, the Endeavor Manta can be controlled using 4G, satellite, and radio signals, and can return autonomously to its launch point or self-destruct if it's jammed or hijacked. The Endeavor Manta has a fiber-reinforced plastic hull and displaces about five tons of water, so it's a relatively small naval craft. By comparison, Taiwan's Anping-class patrol boats displace about 600 tons, while its Cheng-Kung-class light frigates displace around 3,200 tons. CSBC said its new drone can also reach a top speed of 35 knots, or roughly 40 miles per hour. Given the vessel's size, it's highly likely any torpedo would have to be fitted externally. Images of the Endeavor Manta on display at Kaohsiung's Singda Port show that several of its sensors and cameras are mounted on a raised platform above the drone's hull. While CSBC said the drone was "influenced by the Ukraine-Russia War," the Taiwan Strait's waters can be choppier than in the Black Sea. To give the Endeavor Manta more stability, it designed the drone with a trimaran hull. Based on footage released by CSBC of the Endeavor Manta, the drone appears to have a cabin and steering controls for a pilot if needed. CSBC's chairman, Huang Zhenghong, told local TV that the drone is built with a "red-free" supply chain, meaning it contains no components from mainland China. The Endeavor Manta joins a growing Taiwanese arsenal of sea and aerial drones aimed at frustrating a Chinese amphibious invasion. Ukraine's own successes against Russia's Black Sea Fleet, which it crippled through sea drone attacks and long-range strikes, have been a stark demonstration of how uncrewed vehicles can be effective against a traditional navy that's stronger on paper. Over a third of the fleet has been destroyed since 2022. Taipei and Washington have been closely watching the Black Sea battle. Adm. Samuel Paparo, who leads the US Indo-Pacific Command, said in June that he wanted to turn the Taiwan Strait into an "unmanned hellscape" that could buy Taiwan a month for the US to respond to any Chinese aggression. That same month, Taiwanese media reported that local shipbuilding company Jong Shyn was using a 20-ton uncrewed vessel as a test platform for building exploding sea drones and other tools. Tensions between China and Taiwan have continued to worsen as Beijing says it won't rule out annexing the island by force and repeatedly conducts military exercises threatening Taipei. Meanwhile, Taiwan's people in 2024 once again elected leaders from the Democratic Progressive Party, which has staunchly campaigned against resisting China. Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Yahoo
Taiwan's Endeavor Manta Drone Boat Breaks Cover
Taiwan has revealed a new drone boat, or uncrewed surface vessel (USV), the Endeavor Manta. Somewhat surprisingly, this is said to be the first of its kind to have been developed for the Republic of China Navy (ROCN). While global interest in this class of vessels has been growing fast recently, especially in the wake of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Endeavor Manta has been tailored specifically to help defend Taiwan against a possible Chinese invasion. The existence of the Endeavor Manta was disclosed today by Taiwan's China Shipbuilding Corporation (CSBC Corp.), which produces ships and submarines for military and civilian use, during a launch event held in the port of Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan. The event included a demonstration of the USV's at-sea capabilities and TWZ has reached out to the company for more information. Suffice it to say, published specifications of the relatively small USV include a length of 8.6 meters (28.2 feet), a width of 3.7 meters (12.1 feet), and a displacement of over five tons, fully loaded. Featuring a fiber-reinforced plastic hull, the Endeavor Manta has a payload capacity of more than one ton and a top speed of over 35 knots, powered by two outboard engines. The USV, at least in its current form, has a crew position at the base of the 'sail.' It's unclear if the crew cockpit is intended just for test work, or whether future versions of the Endeavor Manta may also be at least optionally crewed, which would seem less likely. According to reports, the USV is equipped with various different communication systems to allow it to keep in contact with a control center. These include 4G, line-of-sight radios, and beyond line-of-sight satellite link. Should all of these break down, such as via signal disruption or jamming, there exists the possibility for the Endeavor Manta to return to its base autonomously. The Endeavor Manta is said to be capable of being operated in swarms and also has an autonomous navigation function with collision avoidance. Other autonomous features reportedly include AI target recognition and undisclosed 'anti-hijacking functions.' The latter apparently refers to a self-destruction system, should the USV fall into the hands of enemy forces. According to local media reports, the development of the Endeavor Manta began last year and was inspired by Ukraine's use of USVs to attack Russian naval ships and other targets during its conflict with Russia. A video showing a Ukrainian USV attacking the Russian Project 22160 patrol ship in the Kerch Strait in March 2024: However, the Endeavor Manta is said to have been designed specifically for operations in the Taiwan Strait. This environment is likely to have prompted the choice of a trimaran hull, which is generally better able to cope with challenging sea states of the kind that are frequently encountered here. Overall, the stealthy shape was likely chosen to reduce the USV's signature, making it harder for adversaries to detect it. In an attack role, it's envisaged that the Endeavor Manta would carry an undisclosed number of 'light torpedoes,' to engage enemy ships. After expending its torpedo armament, it would then be able to target other vessels — or conduct follow-up attacks — by ramming them, making use of a warhead mounted in the bow. The size of the USV means that any torpedoes would likely have to be carried externally. According to CSBC Corp., up to 50 of these USVs can be controlled from a single control station, and the Endeavor Manta can also be integrated into operations with other types of drones and satellite-based targeting systems. Since it's fairly small, the Endeavor Manta could be launched from even the smallest ports in Taiwan or even put into the water from beaches and coves — including on outlying islands in the Strait. It could be transported fairly easily on the back of a truck and then deployed when and where required, conferring a good degree of surprise and making it harder for the enemy to detect. The USV can also be deployed from crewed ships, one example being the Yushan class landing platform dock, each of which would be able to carry more than 20 of these craft. The Endeavor Manta is designed to be relatively inexpensive to produce, and it relies primarily on Taiwanese-made components. Only the satellite guidance system and outboard engines are sourced from foreign suppliers. Based on development timelines, CSBC Corp. has said that it's not putting the Endeavor Manta into an upcoming USV competition that will be run by Taiwan's National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), a state research and development agency broadly similar to the Pentagon's DARPA but with its own production capability. However, the company remains confident that the ROCN — as well as civilian agencies — will still be interested in acquiring the Endeavor Manta. Overall, while a USV may be new for Taiwan, the idea of using drones — including the planned use of swarming — to counter Chinese numerical superiority in the Strait is by no means a novelty. Above all, Taiwan has been building up its capacity to deploy large numbers of relatively cheap drones. These are intended to give Taiwan extremely valuable additional capacity to attack Chinese forces during any future conflict across the Taiwan Strait. Until now, the focus has mainly been on aerial drones, specifically loitering munitions. Last year, the U.S. government approved the potential sale of over a thousand loitering munitions to Taiwan, including Switchblade 300 and ALTIUS 600M types, both of which have been used in combat in Ukraine. Taiwan has also been developing its own loitering munition designs locally. A 2023 video below from Taiwan's NCSIST that shows various domestic drone developments, including the Chien Hsiang loitering munition: Key targets for aerial drones and USVs like the Endeavor Manta would include People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) warships in the Taiwan Strait, especially incoming Chinese landing craft. At the same time, Taiwanese forces would make use of a wide range of other weapons, including various types of anti-ship missiles and even anti-tank guided missiles, the latter being used against enemy landing craft in coastal defense scenarios. While we don't know the range of the Endeavor Manta, USVs like this would theoretically enable PLAN vessels to be attacked at significantly greater ranges. As well as kinetic attacks, with torpedoes or in kamikaze fashion, the Endeavor Manta could also be used for surveillance and reconnaissance. In this role, they could operate independently or network together in swarms, which could also help find targets and improve overall situational awareness. Ultimately, the Endeavor Manta could emerge as an important facet within the emerging strategy nicknamed Hellscape — a Pentagon initiative to work out how best to leverage large volumes of uncrewed capabilities in the defense of Taiwan. In recent years, U.S. and Taiwanese officials have warned that China could feel confident in its ability to launch a successful armed intervention against Taiwan by 2027, if not earlier. Such a confrontation would likely also quickly become a huge drone war, with China also having made its own substantial investments in loitering munitions and swarming technologies in recent years. Chinese drones are proliferating in the air, on the ground, and at sea, and everything points to the mass use of uncrewed systems being a deciding factor in a conflict between Taiwan and China, something that has been enforced by the lessons of influential war games. This reality makes it all the more surprising that it has taken Taiwan relatively so long to develop drone boats. Based on the type of threat, it might have been expected that the ROCN would already possess significant quantities of USVs, of different kinds, to enhance its asymmetric warfare capabilities, which it otherwise invests heavily in. Overall, the Endeavor Manta is the latest addition to a growing fleet of USVs around the globe. Provided it's not too late to the game, it's also one that could, in the future, become an important part of Taiwan's swarms of relatively cheap networked drones — something that would be expected to play a key role in any confrontation with China. Contact the author: thomas@
