Seasats confirms Lightfish USV transit through contested Taiwan Strait

The Lightfish reportedly encountered multiple Chinese warships, including a People’s Liberation Army Navy Type 056 corvette. Notably, the vessels were allegedly operating well within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone without transmitting their identity via the Automatic Identification System. The Lightfish was able to track these vessels and capture images confirming their type and origin.

“This isn’t our vessel’s first run-in with a Chinese warship,” Seasats chief executive officer Mike Flanigan said.

“But the location and timing make this encounter notable. It’s generally understood that the PLAN aggressively projects its vessels into the sovereign waters of smaller neighbours, but the opportunity to capture and share geolocated photographic evidence of it is unique.”

Long-endurance USVs like the Lightfish are aimed at assisting Taiwan with monitoring and defending its waters, denying the PLAN the freedom to move undetected.

“Around the world, the rapid proliferation of uncrewed systems has upended military doctrine. Ukraine has held Russia at bay in part through their rapid adoption and scaling of drone warfare, and Iran has also deployed uncrewed systems effectively in the Strait of Hormuz,” according to a statement from Seasats.

“This milestone redefines what is possible with autonomous maritime systems in one of the world’s most sensitive waterways.

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“Taiwan is studying those lessons closely and is increasingly prioritising uncrewed systems as a cornerstone of its defence strategy.

“Seasats is actively engaging with Taiwan and allied forces across the Indo-Pacific to deploy and scale persistent maritime domain awareness where it matters.”

Robert Dougherty

Robert is a senior journalist who has previously worked for Seven West Media in Western Australia, as well as Fairfax Media and Australian Community Media in New South Wales. He has produced national headlines, photography and videography of emergency services, business, community, defence and government news across Australia. Robert graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Majoring in Public Relations and Journalism at Curtin University, attended student exchange program with Fudan University and holds Tier 1 General Advice certification for Kaplan Professional. Reach out via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via LinkedIn.