The war in Ukraine seems to inspire other nations. Not to trigger a large -scale conflict by invading one of their neighbors – that – but rather to modernize their military arsenal. Threatened by Beijing which barely hides its desire to integrate the island into the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan is preparing for this possibility, as proven by this new advanced military drone.
The recent Chinese military maneuvers around Taiwan have put the island on alert. In response to this threat, a local shipowner would have developed, on the orders of Taipei, a ship without a crew directly inspired by Ukrainian attacks against Russian ships in the Black Sea. Actions marked by several notable military successes which allowed kyiv to decimate part of the fleet of Vladimir Putin.
Appointed Endeavor Manta, this 8-meter-long surface drone is designed to launch light torpedoes, but also to engage in kamikazes. He is able to explode on his targets thanks to loads fixed to his bow, announced Tuesday March 25, the CSBC Corporation, the Taiwanese company at the origin of the manufacturing of the machine, as reported by the online media Business Insider.
CSBC Corporation presented its unmanned small boat as a versatile platform, capable of fulfilling a variety of missions: port inspection, patrols, drone jam, mine hunting, recognition, lure, a short-range air defense and even serving as a mother vessel for smaller drones.
A design made without Chinese component
“In the event of extreme weather conditions or maritime accidents, it helps fighting fire, research and rescue, as well as the transport of emergency supplies”said the Taiwanese company, by publishing an image of the drone turning on a fire boat. She also added that the device could reach a maximum speed of 64 km/h.
As explained by the representatives of the Taiwanese shipowner, it was the Ukrainian successes in the Black Sea who inspired the development of this military apparatus. However, the waters around the Taiwan Strait are often more agitated than those of the Black Sea. To optimize the performance of this surface naval drone, CSBC Corporation therefore designed the machine with a Trimaran shell, that is to say composed of three distinct shells, thus offering remarkable stability, even in difficult weather conditions.
CSBC Corporation President Huang Zhenghong, said on local television that Maritime Drone was designed with a “red” supply chain. In other words, none of its components is of Chinese origin, which is crucial from a strategic point of view in the event of possible confrontation between the two parties.
It is a secret of Polichinelle: the United States and Taiwan follow very closely the situation in the Black Sea. They see it as a theater similar to that that Taiwan’s strait could be in the event of a large -scale Chinese offensive. It is in this context that Admiral Samuel Paparo, who directs the Indo-Pacific Command of the United States, told Washington Post in June 2024 that he wanted to transform the Taiwan Strait into a “Infernal landscape”in order to give Taiwan the possibility of resisting for a month, until the United States can respond to any Chinese aggression.
