Taiwan International Shipbuilding held a presentation on USVs at the Xingda Port Terminal in Kaohsiung today on Tuesday, unveiling a self-developed military-grade trimaran model.
Endeavor Manta is 8.6 metres long, with a beam of 3.7 metres, full load displacement of more than five tonnes, and a maximum speed of more than 35 knots via two outboard motors.
At the press conference, it was stated that it could be armed with light torpedoes and explosives and would be deployable by vehicle to the waterfront as required.
Taiwan Shipbuilding Corporation said that its USV was developed by its subsidiary Taiwan Shipbuilding Power together with local manufacturers, together forming the "Taiwan Shipbuilding Unmanned Ship Team", drawing inspiration from observations of the Russia-Ukraine War.
This included the operational concept, design, construction to testing, speed and manoeuvrability, asymmetric combat theories, and the use of 4G, satellite signals, radio frequency and other remote control modes.
The group also developed functions such as group control mode, autonomous navigation collision avoidance, AI target recognition, and anti-hijacking systems, and has the ability to integrate source code autonomy, unlike USV concepts that have been publicly announced in China.
In recent years, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence has been evaluating the development of various types of unmanned vessels, including armed versions.
"This case is the innovative crystallization of the integration of shipbuilding and control core technologies by Taiwan Shipbuilding Corporation and Taiwan Shipbuilding Power Company, integrating cross-domain technology into military application, aiming to create a maritime surprise force that can fight for asymmetric advantages on the battlefield in the Taiwan Strait," said Huang Zhenghong, Chairman of Taiwan Shipbuilding Corporation.
"The advent of Endeavor Manta will make an important contribution to the national defense and security of our country.
"In addition, there is unlimited imagination in the non-military field, and this product can be designed and developed according to the needs of the mission, whether it is offshore wind power support and patrol, port water safety monitoring, rescue and emergency response, etc."