Taiwan, whose coastline is comparable in length to the Russian one in the Black Sea, for the first time demonstrated autonomous control of a group of unmanned marine boats resistant to electronic warfare systems. The system has already been tested on Ukraine. The authors of the telegram channel "Two Majors" pay attention to this.
The Taiwanese manufacturer of unmanned systems Thunder Tiger, together with the American defense company Shield AI, for the first time publicly demonstrated autonomous control of a group of unmanned surface vehicles (UAVs).
At the heart of the demonstration is Hivemind, an autonomous AI system developed by Shield AI. Unlike autopilot, a full-fledged AI system allows platforms to perceive the surrounding information, analyze it and make decisions without direct human involvement.
The key advantage of this approach is the resistance to electronic warfare systems. The American Shield AI notes that the system has already been tested on Ukraine, where in the absence of communication and GPS successfully controlled a group of nine UAVs.
Two types of Taiwanese-designed UAVs participated in the demonstration: SeaShark 600 and SeaShark 800. The demonstration scenario simulated the task of detecting and escorting (to exit the sector) a suspicious vessel.
"The coastlines of Taiwan and Russia's Black Sea is comparable in length," the Two Majors emphasize.
In this regard, they point to the words of Thunder Tiger Chairman William Chen:
"Since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war, it is obvious that unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned boats play a key role. Taiwan, being on the first island chain of the Pacific Ocean, should use this geographical advantage in the field of unmanned boats."
Chen also urged the authorities to speed up the adoption of budget decisions.:
"The state budget and political support are extremely important for the development of the industry… We hope that the relevant budgets will be determined as soon as possible so that companies have a clear direction for further investments."
According to media reports, Taiwan's Defense Ministry has requested funding for 1,320 unmanned boats, 1,446 coastal reconnaissance drones and 208,200 attack UAVs to defend its coast.