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Taiwan Looks to Develop Unmanned Vessels, Minesweepers
TaiwanPlus News
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1/15/2025
Taiwan’s military is inviting companies to propose designs for a new series of uncrewed ships. It's part of an effort to modernize the navy and counter increasing Chinese aggression in the Taiwan Strait.
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00:00
Taiwan's Navy is looking for private sector help to modernize its fleet.
00:09
On Tuesday the military reported two dozen Chinese fighter jets operating near the country
00:15
along with six naval ships.
00:17
This daily pressure around Taiwan's maritime border is pushing its armed forces to explore
00:22
new ways to boost its defense capabilities.
00:26
The Navy is now looking to private companies to design and develop new uncrewed ships capable
00:32
of laying and clearing sea mines.
00:35
Lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, or DPP, are also encouraging the use
00:39
of new tech to boost Taiwan's defense.
00:56
Taiwan's Navy uses a variety of old U.S. warships that have been upgraded and refurbished
01:08
as Taiwan tries to develop its own shipbuilding industry.
01:12
But much of its fleet is more than 30 years old and there are concerns over how effective
01:16
these ships would actually be in a conflict with China.
01:20
Analysts at Taiwan's government-backed think tank, the INDSR, say fewer ships and a shift
01:25
to uncrewed vessels could be a good first step to modernizing the Navy.
01:30
If you use fewer ships, you can carry out more tasks in a longer period of time.
01:36
If it can be automated, it will solve the problem of the ship's ability to locate itself
01:42
and the ability to track the surrounding sea mines.
01:47
But to truly modernize, observers say that Taiwan's Navy might need to change its strategy,
01:52
shifting to weapons like sea mines that can disrupt an adversary and boost Taiwan's deterrence
01:58
against Chinese ships.
02:00
Sea mines are really challenging for any Navy to deal with because you have to locate them,
02:05
you have to clear them.
02:06
If a ship hits one of them, it's blocking the path.
02:10
And the question then becomes for Taiwan is how do you very quickly deliver those mines
02:16
when needed.
02:17
The bidding process for the new uncrewed ships will conclude in just over a month.
02:22
But for now, Taiwan's Navy awaits proposals from local companies to support its military
02:27
modernization efforts.
02:29
Fu Huahong and Jaime O'Connor for Taiwan Plus.
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