What can China learn from the US sea drone strike on an Iranian submarine base?

Chinese military analysts are urging the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to rapidly strengthen harbour defences after the United States carried out its first combat strike using unmanned surface vessels (USVs) to destroy an Iranian submarine. US Central Command released footage on July 13 of what it said was the first combat use of American sea drones. Three vessels were shown striking an Iranian base, reportedly destroying one Ghadir-class midget submarine. The Iranian-made submarine has an underwater displacement of less than 150 tonnes and is designed mainly for operations in shallow coastal waters, including minelaying and supporting special forces missions. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported on Sunday that the 7.3 metre (24 feet) Corsair USV, built by Saronic Technologies, was not specifically designed as a suicide weapon and could perform a range of missions. The Corsair has a modular payload and uses electro-optical and infrared sensors. Its autonomous navigation and machine-learning capabilities allow it to continue carrying out a mission even if its communications link is interrupted, according to the company. Military analyst Fu Qianshao, a former PLA Air Force officer, said the American sea drone’s advantages included its relatively low visibility, high speed and ability to carry its own observation and sighting system. “This type of advanced unmanned boat is difficult to detect, while also being relatively fast,” Fu said. “It has a certain degree of self-defence, surveillance and targeting capability, allowing it to defend itself against aerial threats or launch an attack.” According to Fu, the first combat deployment of American unmanned boats should attract the attention of militaries around the world, particularly because of the threat such weapons could pose to naval ports. “Detecting unmanned boats is a challenge for any country,” he said. “Warships inside a harbour and shore-based radar systems can find it difficult to identify small targets moving on the surface.” China should improve its battlefield situational awareness capabilities against USVs, particularly concerning key naval ports, Fu pointed out. “Sufficient unmanned underwater vehicles, helicopters and drones need to be deployed – spanning port and nearby waters – to conduct reconnaissance and provide protection,” Fu said. Iran’s monitoring capabilities for small surface vessels appeared to be relatively limited, he added. “Regular patrols by anti-submarine and anti-ship helicopters, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles, could serve as an early-warning measure,” Fu said, while noting that the US system’s relatively high cost could prevent its large-scale use in the short term. The Corsair’s unit price has been estimated at between US$1 million and US$1.2 million, much higher than the roughly US$273,000 cost of Ukraine’s Magura V5 multipurpose sea drone. Ukraine has repeatedly sent explosive-laden unmanned boats to attack Russia’s Black Sea fleet since the Russian invasion which began in 2022, sinking or severely damaging several vessels, including the patrol ship Sergei Kotov. According to numerous media reports, the sustained Ukrainian attacks have forced much of the Black Sea fleet to relocate from Sevastopol in Crimea to the more distant port of Novorossiysk. Military analyst Song Zhongping, a former PLA instructor, said Washington was drawing lessons from the war in Ukraine and turning experimental unmanned platforms into operational weapons. China would also be paying close attention to how the US was generating the combat capability of the technology, according to Song. “China should actively strengthen its defences against this type of asymmetric attack, including deploying underwater security barriers [typically combining hardened entanglement nets with integrated intrusion detection alarms] at military ports,” he said. The US Navy has spent several years developing and testing unmanned maritime systems in the Middle East, establishing Task Force 59 in Bahrain in 2021 to integrate uncrewed platforms and artificial intelligence into the Fifth Fleet’s operations. US Central Command said last month that Task Force 59 used a Corsair USV to “assist” in the rescue of two crew members from a downed US Army AH-64 Apache off the coast of Oman.

What can China learn from the US sea drone strike on an Iranian submarine base?

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Experts highlight struggle for conventional systems to detect fast, low-visibility vessels after first combat use of the technology

Experts highlight struggle for conventional systems to detect fast, low-visibility vessels after first combat use of the technology