Autonomous Fleets
Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council is working on an autonomous system that would allow drone fleets to coordinate and execute missions without human intervention in response to grey-zone activities carried out by China. The council is working with the National Cheng Kung University, which has already completed simultaneous flight simulations of two drone fleets, with each fleet comprising 10 units. This marks a shift from individual aircraft control to the coordination of multiple drone detachments.
Protecting Undersea Infrastructure
This project is designed to help Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration counter Beijing’s grey-zone tactics in the waters surrounding the island nation. Following instances of civilian ships damaging undersea cables, the agency increased defensive patrols around critical cable networks and monitors numerous regional boats. Research vessels continue to operate near these infrastructure lines, prompting enhanced automated monitoring measures.
Testing and Navigation
The next stage will involve hardware-in-the-loop testing, prototype integration and flight trials over actual maritime areas to assess reliability under different sea and weather conditions. Researchers programmed the drones to maintain a minimum separation in three-dimensional space while incorporating leader-follower formation flying and dynamic obstacle avoidance. This enables the fleets to respond to quickly changing conditions and unexpected maritime hazards.
Hardware Integration
The autonomous system allows different types of drones to coordinate movements, divide tasks, and plan routes primarily for maritime surveillance. Current development focuses on three Western-made platforms, including the Jump 20, V-BAT, and Flexrotor. The Ocean Affairs Council recently received the V-BAT, a vertical takeoff and landing drone built by U.S. defense firm Shield AI, which can launch from non-aircraft carrier ships and offers extended operational endurance.
