Taiwan has a new all-purpose sea attack drone after watching how Ukraine smashed Russia's Black Sea Fleet

• Taiwan has a new sea drone that it says can fire torpedoes or ram enemies with explosives.
• It's a small versatile craft that adds to Taipei's arsenal for countering a Chinese invasion.
• Its manufacturer said the Endeavor Manta was inspired by Ukraine's success against the Black Sea Fleet.

A Taiwanese shipbuilding firm has debuted a new uncrewed surface vessel that it said was inspired by Ukraine's attacks on Russia's Black Sea Fleet.

Named the Endeavor Manta, the 28-foot-long sea drone is meant to fire light torpedoes and ram into targets with explosives on its bow, the Taiwan International Shipbuilding Corporation, or CSBC, said on Tuesday.

The drone's debut comes as Taiwan has pushed hard into designing, purchasing, and building more uncrewed vehicles to potentially counter any aggression from China. Should Beijing seek to take the self-governed island by force, the effort would likely require sending troops on a perilous amphibious assault across the 110-mile Taiwan Strait.

CSBC said the Endeavor Manta was built with versatility in mind: It's designed to be launched at any port or beach in Taiwan and can be carried on the back of a commercial truck.

The firm touted the Endeavor Manta as an all-purpose platform that can be used as a port inspector, loitering munition, drone jammer, mine-hunter, recon vehicle, decoy, short-range air defense, or even a mothership for smaller drones.

"In severe weather or maritime accidents, it assists with firefighting, search and rescue, and emergency supply transportation," the firm added, publishing a concept image of the drone spitting water on a burning ship.

Per CSBC, the Endeavor Manta can be controlled using 4G, satellite, and radio signals, and can return autonomously to its launch point or self-destruct if it's jammed or hijacked.

The Endeavor Manta has a fiber-reinforced plastic hull and displaces about five tons of water, so it's a relatively small naval craft. By comparison, Taiwan's Anping-class patrol boats displace about 600 tons, while its Cheng-Kung-class light frigates displace around 3,200 tons.

CSBC said its new drone can also reach a top speed of 35 knots, or roughly 40 miles per hour.

Given the vessel's size, it's highly likely any torpedo would have to be fitted externally. Images of the Endeavor Manta on display at Kaohsiung's Singda Port show that several of its sensors and cameras are mounted on a raised platform above the drone's hull.

While CSBC said the drone was "influenced by the Ukraine-Russia War," the Taiwan Strait's waters can be choppier than in the Black Sea. To give the Endeavor Manta more stability, it designed the drone with a trimaran hull.

Based on footage released by CSBC of the Endeavor Manta, the drone appears to have a cabin and steering controls for a pilot if needed.

CSBC's chairman, Huang Zhenghong, told local TV that the drone is built with a "red-free" supply chain, meaning it contains no components from mainland China.

The Endeavor Manta joins a growing Taiwanese arsenal of sea and aerial drones aimed at frustrating a Chinese amphibious invasion.

Ukraine's own successes against Russia's Black Sea Fleet, which it crippled through sea drone attacks and long-range strikes, have been a stark demonstration of how uncrewed vehicles can be effective against a traditional navy that's stronger on paper. Over a third of the fleet has been destroyed since 2022.

Taipei and Washington have been closely watching the Black Sea battle. Adm. Samuel Paparo, who leads the US Indo-Pacific Command, said in June that he wanted to turn the Taiwan Strait into an "unmanned hellscape" that could buy Taiwan a month for the US to respond to any Chinese aggression.

That same month, Taiwanese media reported that local shipbuilding company Jong Shyn was using a 20-ton uncrewed vessel as a test platform for building exploding sea drones and other tools.

Tensions between China and Taiwan have continued to worsen as Beijing says it won't rule out annexing the island by force and repeatedly conducts military exercises threatening Taipei. Meanwhile, Taiwan's people in 2024 once again elected leaders from the Democratic Progressive Party, which has staunchly campaigned against resisting China.