An Indonesian fisherman has discovered what experts say is probably a Chinese submarine drone in the waters of 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 the island of Selayar in South Sulawesi. Six days later, he was handed over to the police and then transferred to the Indonesian army.
Military observers said the drone appeared to be a UUV from the China Sea Wing (or Haiyi). The underwater glider was developed by the Shenyang Institute of Automation at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and is publicly described as collecting data, including seawater temperature, salinity, turbidity and oxygen levels. Current information and direction of motion are transmitted in real time.
The Chinese central government did not comment.
JATOSINT
(@Jatosint)A fisherman from Selayar Island, South Sulawesi, found a UUV:
Length: 225 cm
Tail: 18 cm
Wingspan: 50 cm
Scanning antenna: 93 cmVery similar to China’s “Sea Wing” UUV, which, if true, has raised many questions, especially how it managed to be found deep in our territory. pic.twitter.com/RAiX8Xw2BK
According to military media Naval News, UUV data can be extremely valuable for naval planners, especially for submarine operations: “The better a navy knows the waters, the more it is able to hide its submarines.”
China has been accused of expansionist activities in the South China Sea dispute and has conducted extensive oceanographic research in regions believed to be militarily significant. In 2019, China conducted ocean surveys in northern Papua New Guinea, where the US and Australia operate a joint naval base on Manus Island, and in March this year near Christmas Island, an Australian territory northwest of the mainland. It is known that submarines transit regularly in the area, ABC reported at the time.
An Indonesian security analyst, Muhammad Fauzan, told ABC that the drone most likely maps future submarine routes, as it was found far from Chinese waters and on a significant sea route between China and the northernmost Australian city of Darwin.
Fauzan said there are significant questions about whether the drone, if it is a Chinese tool, is used for gathering information or for illegal surveys.
“This is at least the third time that such a drone, which many people, including experts, believe to be a Chinese-made underwater drone, [has been] found in Indonesian territorial waters, ”he said.
“But perhaps this latest discovery is a more significant one, because first, it is said that the drone is still active when the fishermen found it. They said the drone was still moving and the light was blinking and the forward sensors were working. And this is the first time I have heard the military say publicly that they have secured the drone and that they are conducting a full investigation of the drone, which, according to the latest report, is currently being carried out at the second headquarters of the Indonesian fleet. marina from Surabaya. “
A different version of the Sea Wing UUV was discovered by Indonesian fishermen in March 2019 in the Riau Islands, closer to the South China Sea, and another in January this year, in East Java. In December 2016, a Chinese Navy ship found and confiscated an American underwater drone in international waters near the coastline, which the US Navy was in the process of recovering.
“The Chinese naval ship ASR-510, a Dalang III ship, approached 500 meters from [US ship] Bowditch launched a small boat and confiscated the UUV, “the Pentagon said in a statement.
The UUV was returned only after the incident escalated.
Non-electrical mechanics and low energy consumption mean that drones can be used for months or even years, according to Chinese state media. A report said UUVs have been 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 the Mariana Trench.
In February 2020, the Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources said that China has deployed 12 Sea Wing UUVs in the Indian Ocean for scientific research.