Taiwanese naval drones won’t be able to sink our ships, mainland Chinese media says
- The project is inspired by Ukraine’s ‘swarming wolf packs’ which have decimated Russia’s Black Sea fleet but CCTV insists it could not happen to the PLA
- ‘Is there any chance that these unmanned boats could be released to attack the vessels of the PLA Navy?’ analyst asks
But a programme by the mainland state broadcaster CCTV on May 5 dismissed the project as “empty talk on paper” with little practical use on the battlefield.
“Even if Taiwan builds a lot of unmanned ships, it probably wouldn’t have a chance to use them,” Shao Yongling, a Chinese military analyst, told the Defence Review programme.
She said the Taiwanese authorities might have watched Ukraine’s use of nautical drones to sink ships from Russia’s Black Sea fleet and want to copy its “swarming wolf pack” tactics, but argued that the People’s Liberation Army would be able to disable all drone bases in Taiwan before launching any naval operations.
“Most of Taiwan’s military installations, such as weapons depots including its airports and harbours, would be targeted in the first wave of strikes,” she said.
02:17
China airs footage of Fujian aircraft carrier featuring advanced catapult launch system
