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A U.S. autonomous surface vessel known as “Lightfish” encountered a Chinese aircraft carrier group in June during its transit from California to Japan, according to the drone’s operator and reported by Newsweek.
The unmanned vessel traveled more than 7,500 miles across the Pacific Ocean over 150 days, as announced by Seasats on July 30. The incident occurred in the Philippine Sea, approximately 330 miles northwest of Guam.
Chinese Foreign Ministry officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Why It Matters
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The value of unmanned systems in modern warfare has been demonstrated since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, when Ukrainian forces deployed maritime drones in the Black Sea against Russian targets. This pushed Russia’s fleet farther from Ukraine.
Recognizing this importance and the gap with major adversaries like Russia and China, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered an overhaul of the military’s drone strategy, including accelerated modernization and expanded production. The U.S. Marine Corps recently announced that the deployment of an unmanned logistics vessel in Japan will be extended indefinitely to counter China’s military buildup.
What To Know
The “unexpected encounter” between Lightfish and the Chinese navy was first reported by Breaking Defense on Wednesday. The incident took place in the Philippine Sea, near Guam.
In a set of photos provided by Seasats to Newsweek, the American sea drone photographed a Chinese warship with hull number “101,” identifying it as China’s first Type 055 destroyer, CNS Nanchang. This is regarded as the country’s premier surface combatant. According to a Newsweek map, the Liaoning carrier strike group was deployed in the Philippine Sea from late May to mid-June.
Seasats told Newsweek that the Chinese destroyer shadowed Lightfish “very closely” for 20 minutes during the encounter. Lightfish, a 12-foot-long, 350-pound solar-powered vessel, departed from San Diego via Hawaii and Okinawa to mainland Japan.
While a publicly accessible tracking page was available throughout Lightfish’s voyage, Seasats removed the data at the time of the encounter and provided a report to the U.S. Navy, which distributed it within government circles.
The ability to capture high-resolution imagery and transmit accurate location data in real-time is key for the U.S. Navy in the Pacific. Using commercial unmanned surface vessels offers significant improvements in persistence, accuracy, cost, and scalability compared to traditional methods.
Seasats stated that this encounter is relevant given recent budget allocations for unmanned surface vessels, reflecting the increasing presence of drones at sea and how they are shifting the balance of traditional naval power. Seasats CEO Mike Flanigan emphasized the risk posture of using autonomous robots, noting a $250,000 unmanned vessel coming within meters of a $900 million Chinese destroyer.
It remains to be seen how the U.S. military will expand the use of unmanned combat systems in the Indo-Pacific amid China’s threat.
