Are commercial sea drones a new headache for PLA in South China Sea and Taiwan Strait?

AI Summary

Small commercial sea drones have emerged as a new challenge for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in monitoring warships in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait. California-based Seasats recently released verified footage of its autonomous vessel operating near a Chinese guided-missile destroyer.

Small commercial sea drones that have shown they can monitor PLA warships in the South China Sea have emerged as a new potential challenge for Beijing in the disputed waters. Last week, Seasats, a California-based autonomous vessel maker, released footage – which has been verified by Reuters – showing its Lightfish drone operating near a Chinese Type 052D guided-missile destroyer on June 16. The latest encounter reportedly took place 105km (65 miles) northwest of Luzon, the largest Philippine...