China's 'Shark Swarm' Tactics Could Be Used to Counter US Warships
China's growing fleet of unmanned ships could be used to disrupt US warship operations in the South China Sea.
| Testing China's unmanned ship fleet. Video:CTGN. |
These unmanned vessels appear to be controlled simultaneously, are capable of avoiding obstacles and moving in complex formations at sea. Yunzhou is working with Chinese defense industry groups to develop the fleet, nicknamed "Shark Swarm," for the country's military.
"The research institutes will jointly develop a fleet of unmanned vessels for reconnaissance, command and combat purposes. Equipped with artificial intelligence (AI), the 'Shark Swarm' will be capable of carrying out many real-life combat missions," the Yunzhou company said in a statement.
According to Chinese military experts, the unmanned fleet is very useful in escort missions, mine sweeping, intelligence gathering and supporting amphibious operations.
"If equipped with weapons, they can attack the enemy in swarm form in large numbers. A mother ship will control this group of vehicles during combat. The advantage in numbers helps them complete the mission even if some are disabled," naval expert Li Jie said.
Analysts say this type of weapon is equipped with modern technology, which can bring an asymmetric advantage in conflicts with the US at sea. Cheap technology and tactics of using quantity to compensate for quality help China exploit potential weaknesses in the US Navy's multi-layered defense network.
Military expert Robert Beckhusen said that modern networking and algorithms help unmanned ships coordinate smoothly in any battlefield scenario. They can be equipped with rockets and anti-ship missiles to stalk, harass and threaten expensive US warships. US warships will have a hard time chasing them away without taking damage.
"One scenario is that this fleet of autonomous ships could follow US warships on freedom of navigation patrols near artificial islands illegally reclaimed by China in the East Sea, obstructing the path of US warships. This move would make it difficult for Washington to respond without showing itself as the aggressor," said scholar Vasily Kashin of the Moscow Higher School of Economics.
