TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan is trialing explosive-packed sea drones as part of a new strategy aimed at deterring Chinese aggression through affordable defense technology, Reuters reported Friday.

These unmanned, remotely controlled vessels, packed with explosives, have proven effective in Ukraine’s Black Sea operations against Russia. Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷), a lawmaker on Taiwan’s defense committee, said they can deter China’s advances.

National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology in Taoyuan has dubbed the sea drone effort the “Swift and Sudden” project, funded with NT$800 million (US$27 million). Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) confirmed last month that sea drones will be part of a new defense budget to be announced later this year.

Thunder Tiger Chair Chen Kuan-ju (陳冠如) demonstrated their SeaShark 800 sea drone off Wushi, Yilan County. The drone can carry up to 1,200 kg of explosives and travel 500 km, adding an unpredictable threat in the Taiwan Strait.

“We can create uncertainty, Chen said. “We can fill the Taiwan Strait with danger and risks. No one knows where these dangers could surface.”

Next week, Thunder Tiger will join 11 other companies, including Taiwan’s Lungteh Shipbuilding and US defense contractor Huntington Ingalls, at a defense ministry exhibition showcasing unmanned surface vehicles that could become part of Taiwan’s arsenal.

Rupert Hammond-Chambers, president of the US-Taiwan Business Council, noted that drones are a top priority for both countries, especially given the lessons from the Ukraine conflict about the future of warfare.

Taiwan’s Navy is vastly outmatched by its Chinese counterpart, which includes aircraft carriers and ballistic missile submarines, though Beijing’s fleet has limited combat experience. China’s last major amphibious assault was in 1950 when it seized Hainan Island.