China showcases never before seen range of unmanned maritime vehicles at Zhuhai air show
- Numbers far exceed UMVs unveiled at previous editions of biennial event
- China has been pouring resources into sector that could change naval warfare, in bid to catch up with the US and Canada
This year’s Zhuhai air show – China’s largest aviation event and aerospace trade expo – also offered a rare glimpse into its latest unmanned maritime vehicles.
Albeit less eye-catching than unmanned aerial vehicles, like the newly revealed Wing Loong 3, these maritime systems can also perform reconnaissance and surveillance duties, as well as precision strikes, and therefore play a significant military role.
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According to Chinese digital news outlet The Paper, mega conglomerate China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) displayed a variety of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) at the air show, in numbers far exceeding those unveiled at previous editions of the biennial event.
These included the Haishen 6000 (Poseidon 6000), a 7.6 metre-long UUV with a displacement of 3 tonnes, a maximum working depth of 6,000 metres (19,700 feet) and able to reach speeds of up to 4 knots. Multiple sensors on board can help it detect mines, and it can also carry towed acoustic decoys that use sonar signals to deflect active torpedoes.
Also showcased for the first time was the CSSC’s recently released EA63, a remotely operated vehicle built to be stationed on surface ships for mine-sweeping action, able to detect and neutralise marine mines both at depth and on the seabed.
Two unmanned coastal defence vessels, the L30 Watcher and M75 Protector, were also displayed, nationalist tabloid Global Times reported. Both are produced by Yunzhou, a Zhuhai-based technology company specialising in developing unmanned vessels.
