Taiwan turns to US drone boats to track rising mainland Chinese sea activity near island

Taiwan’s coastguard is buying an undisclosed number of Devil Ray T24 uncrewed surface vessels from Florida-based Maritime Tactical Systems, or Martac. The boats are part of the coastguard’s first dedicated unmanned surface vessel programme. Their main purpose is to extend maritime surveillance without placing crews everywhere they are needed.

Coastguard director general Chang Chung-lung said the T24s, together with aerial drones, would conduct long-range search and reconnaissance, investigation and remote rescue. The boats can carry different equipment, so their modular design could support several maritime tasks. The article does not say whether Taiwan will arm its T24s.

Taiwanese media identified NCSIST as the main contractor for a broader programme involving 25 uncrewed surface vessels. The current Martac deal covers an undisclosed number, however. Eventually, the boats are expected to work with coastguard cutters in a coordinated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance network.

An uncrewed surface vessel is a boat designed to operate on the sea without a crew physically aboard. It can carry sensors and other equipment, travel through an assigned area, and send information back to operators. This lets authorities conduct maritime missions while keeping personnel farther from danger.

The article describes the T24 as an autonomous boat with a modular design. That means its equipment can be changed for surveillance, electronic warfare, mine countermeasures or anti-submarine reconnaissance. The article also mentions planned technologies such as AI-assisted target tracking, autonomous interception and coordinated operations involving multiple unmanned vessels.

These systems still need people and networks to be useful. Taiwan’s coastguard says the boats will eventually operate alongside cutters, while an analyst cautioned that unmanned systems must connect with existing command networks and coastguard operations. The article does not detail the T24’s exact onboard control software or communications link.

The Devil Ray T24 is 8.4 metres long, or 27.5 feet. Martac says it can reach burst speeds exceeding 50 knots. Its size and speed give Taiwan a compact platform that can move quickly across maritime areas and respond without sending a crewed cutter to every location.

The boat’s modular design is central to its capability. It can carry different equipment for maritime surveillance and military activities, including electronic warfare, mine countermeasures and anti-submarine reconnaissance. During US Navy-backed trials in Sweden in December 2024, a T24 also launched an exercise torpedo, showing that the platform has demonstrated a strike capability.

The current Martac agreement covers an undisclosed number of boats. However, Taiwanese media identified NCSIST as the main contractor for a wider coastguard programme to acquire 25 uncrewed surface vessels. Taipei has not said whether its T24s will eventually be armed.

Taiwan is expanding maritime surveillance because mainland Chinese vessel activity around the island has sharply increased. Taiwanese defence ministry figures analysed by the South China Morning Post showed record sightings of mainland Chinese coastguard, research and other government vessels in June, July and August.

Beijing has also expanded coastguard operations east of Taiwan. It has maintained regular patrols there since June and describes them as routine law enforcement. These activities increase the areas Taiwan must watch and the number of contacts its coastguard must identify, track and investigate.

The drone-boat purchase is a response to that changing maritime environment. T24s and aerial drones are intended to extend the coastguard’s operational reach, especially for long-range search and reconnaissance. The boats will not replace cutters immediately. Taiwan plans to connect unmanned systems with its existing vessels and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations.

Uncrewed boats could change Taiwan’s surveillance by putting sensors farther from shore and closer to areas where Chinese vessels operate. They can perform long-range search, reconnaissance and investigation without requiring a crewed vessel for every patrol. This could expand coverage and make monitoring more persistent.

The main safety benefit is removing people from some risky tasks. Cathy Fang said unmanned maritime systems could extend surveillance coverage, improve evidence gathering and reduce risks to crews. A T24 can also move quickly, with burst speeds above 50 knots, and its modular design lets it carry surveillance equipment suited to different missions.

The boats are not an automatic solution. Fang cautioned that they must be integrated with existing command networks and coastguard operations. Taiwan therefore plans for them to work alongside cutters and aerial drones, forming a coordinated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance network rather than replacing human crews or decision-making.

Taiwan’s plan is to combine unmanned vessels with the coastguard’s existing cutters and aerial drones. The T24s would add persistent, remotely operated coverage, while cutters could provide larger crews, more equipment and direct intervention when needed. Aircraft could survey wider areas from above.

The key mechanism is coordination through command networks. The coastguard says these assets will eventually form a network for coordinated operations and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Martac and NCSIST are also working on AI-assisted target tracking and coordinated operations involving multiple unmanned vessels, although Taiwan has not confirmed that every capability will enter coastguard service.

This arrangement remains a planned capability, not a fully described operational system. Cathy Fang warned that unmanned vessels must fit existing command networks and coastguard procedures. If that integration succeeds, the systems could share observations, direct vessels toward contacts and reduce the need to expose crews during initial searches.

Taiwan’s coastguard remains a civilian agency in peacetime, but the National Defence Act allows the government to bring it into the military order of battle during a conflict. This legal arrangement lets the agency perform civilian maritime duties normally while preparing for a possible wartime role.

The Anping-class cutters show how that role can work. They are designed to receive Hsiung Feng II and III anti-ship missiles during wartime mobilisation. Vessels in the class have conducted missile-firing exercises since 2022, and the Qijin launched a Hsiung Feng III supersonic anti-ship missile in September.

The T24 programme fits this broader preparation, although its immediate coastguard missions are search, reconnaissance, investigation and rescue. The T24 has demonstrated a strike capability by launching an exercise torpedo, but Taipei has not said whether its boats will be armed. Their eventual role therefore remains partly undecided.