Small commercial sea drones that have shown they can monitor PLA warships in the South China Sea have emerged as a new potential challenge for Beijing in the disputed waters. Last week, Seasats, a California-based autonomous vessel maker, released footage – which has been verified by Reuters – showing its Lightfish drone operating near a Chinese Type 052D guided-missile destroyer on June 16. The latest encounter reportedly took place 105km (65 miles) northwest of Luzon, the largest Philippine…
I’m curious what happens when these new drones get around private vessels. Sailboats will expect them to give way, other vessels will expect them to stand off depending on their size. Cargo ships might not care if they run over one, a private yacht might have a bigger problem.
