{
  "id": 14429554,
  "title": "Taiwan turns to US drone boats to track rising mainland Chinese sea activity near island",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/14/taiwan-turns-to-us-drone-boats-to-track-rising-mainland-chinese-sea",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-14T11:00:14.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Reuters Business via SCMP",
    "slug": "reuters-business-via-scmp",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3370888/taiwan-turns-us-drone-boats-track-rising-mainland-chinese-sea-activity-near-island"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Taiwan’s coastguard is set to bolster its capabilities in detecting and monitoring mainland China’s expanding naval presence near the island by acquiring US-designed unmanned surface vessels through a new partnership. The deal, involving up to an undisclosed number of Maritime Tactical Systems’ (Martac) Devil Ray T24 autonomous boats, will be produced in both the United States and Taiwan. Martac described the agreement as \"one of the most significant international purchases\" of US-made uncrewed surface vessels, while Confucian’s CEO, James Lee, highlighted it as the coastguard’s inaugural unmanned surface vessel programme. The procurement comes in response to a surge in Chinese maritime activity around Taiwan, with coastguard, research, and other government vessels recording record levels of sightings in June, July, and August, according to Taiwanese defence ministry data. Beijing has also stepped up its coastguard operations east of Taiwan, conducting regular patrols since June and claiming they are routine law enforcement activities. The T24s, each measuring 8.4 meters (27.5 feet) in length and capable of exceeding 50 knots in burst speed, come equipped with various military features, such as electronic warfare, mine countermeasures, and anti-submarine reconnaissance. The co-developed system, alongside aerial drones, is intended for long-range search and reconnaissance, investigation, and remote rescue missions, extending the coastguard’s operational reach.",
  "summary": "Taiwan’s coastguard is buying US-designed uncrewed surface vessels for its first dedicated drone-boat programme to strengthen its ability to detect and track the growing presence of mainland Chinese vessels operating around the island. Florida-based Maritime Tactical Systems (Martac) announced on Tuesday that the deal covered an undisclosed number of its Devil Ray T24 autonomous boats, with…",
  "key_points": [
    "Taiwan to acquire US-designed unmanned surface vessels for sea monitoring",
    "Devil Ray T24 boats capable of exceeding 50 knots in speed",
    "Response to increasing Chinese maritime activity near Taiwan"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "Taiwan turns to US drone boats to track rising mainland Chinese sea activity near island",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/14/taiwan-turns-to-us-drone-boats-to-track-rising-mainland-chinese-sea-14435015",
        "published": "2026-10-14T11:00:14.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}