An Indonesian fisherman discovered what experts say was probably a Chinese submarine drone in waters on a strategic sea route from the South China Sea to Australia.
According to Indonesian media, the unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) was found on December 20 near Selayar Island in South Sulawesi. Six days later, it was handed over to the police and then transferred to the Indonesian military.
Military observers said the drone appears to be a UUV Chinese Sea Wing (or Haiyi). The underwater glider was developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Shenyang Automation Institute and is publicly described as collecting data, including seawater temperature, salinity, turbidity and oxygen levels. Information about currents and direction of movement is transmitted in real time.
The Chinese central government did not comment.
JATOSINT
(@Jatosint)A fisherman on Selayar Island, South Sulawesi, found a UUV:
Length: 225 cm
Tail: 18 cm
Wingspan: 50 cm
Final antenna: 93 cmVery similar to China’s UUV ‘Sea Wing’, which, if true, raised many questions, especially how it managed to be found in the depths of our territory pic.twitter.com/RAiX8Xw2BK
According to the military-focused communication channel Naval News, UUV data can be extremely valuable for naval planners, particularly for submarine operations: “The better a navy knows the waters, the better it can hide its submarines.”
China was accused of expansionist activities in the disputed South China Sea and conducted extensive oceanographic research in regions considered to be militarily significant. In 2019, China conducted ocean surveys north of Papua New Guinea, where the US and Australia operate a joint naval base on the Isle of Manus, and in March this year near Christmas Island, an Australian territory northwest of the main continent. . Submarines are known to transit the area regularly, ABC reported at the time.
An Indonesian security analyst, Muhammad Fauzan, told ABC that the drone was probably mapping future submarine routes, as it was found away from Chinese waters and on a significant sea route between China and the northernmost city of Darwin. Australia.
Fauzan said there were significant questions about whether the drone, if a Chinese instrument, was being used for intelligence gathering or illegal surveying.
“It is at least the third time that this drone, which I and many people, including experts, believe to be a Chinese-made underwater drone, [has been] found in Indonesia’s territorial waters, ”he said.
“But perhaps this latest discovery is more significant because, first, it was reported that the drone was still active when the fishermen found it. They said the drone was still moving and the light was still flashing and the front sensors were still working. And this is the first time we’ve heard the military publicly say they’ve protected the drone and are conducting a full investigation into the drone that, according to the latest report, is currently being conducted at the second headquarters of the Indonesian marine fleet. in Surabaya. “
A different variant of the Sea Wing UUV was discovered by Indonesian fishermen in March 2019 in the Riau Islands, near the South China Sea, and another in January this year in East Java. In December 2016, a Chinese navy ship found and seized a US underwater drone in international waters near its coast that the U.S. Navy was in the process of recovering.
“The Chinese navy ship ASR-510, a Dalang III class ship, approached 500 yards from the [US ship] Bowditch, launched a small boat and seized the UUV, ”said the Pentagon in a statement at the time.
The UUV was not returned until the incident escalated.
Non-electrical mechanics and low power consumption mean that drones can be used for months or even years, according to Chinese state media. One report said that UUVs were tested and used in the East China Sea, South China Sea, Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean. Sea Wings spent more than 6,400 days at sea, observed more than 160,000 km and reached depths of 7,076 meters in Mariana’s trench.
In February 2020, China’s natural resources ministry said China had deployed 12 Sea Wing UUVs in the Indian Ocean for scientific research.