Learning from Ukraine, Taiwan Looks to Sea Drones to Counter China

In the shadow of the Taiwan Strait, a new chapter in asymmetric naval warfare is unfolding. Drawing lessons from Ukraine’s strategic use of maritime drones in the Black Sea, Taiwan is adapting similar technologies as a low-cost, high-impact defense against an increasingly assertive Chinese Navy.

Off Taiwan’s eastern fishing port of Wushi, Thunder Tiger — a local defense technology company — has been testing the SeaShark 800, an uncrewed surface vessel (USV) capable of carrying 1,200 kg of explosives across distances up to 500 km. Developed under the government’s "Swift and Sudden" program, the initiative is part of a broader shift toward asymmetric warfare, prioritizing smaller, mobile platforms over traditional large-scale naval assets.

While the U.S. has long advocated for Taiwan to invest in asymmetric capabilities, the war in Ukraine has served as a real-world proving ground for how sea drones can disable or deter more powerful navies. Ukraine’s successful strikes against Russia’s Black Sea fleet using low-profile, explosive-laden USVs have become case studies for naval strategists worldwide.

“Uncrewed boats or underwater vehicles can effectively deter China because Taiwan is not the attacking side — we are the defending side,” said Taiwanese lawmaker Chen Kuan-ting, a member of the national defense