Thunder Tiger, Shield AI demonstrate mission autonomy software

Taipei, July 29 (CNA) Taiwan-based drone manufacturer Thunder Tiger Corp. teamed up with U.S. defense company Shield AI on Wednesday to demonstrate mission autonomy software in a coordinated operation involving unmanned surface vessels (USVs).

During a demonstration at Dapeng Bay in Pingtung County, Thunder Tiger's SeaShark 800 and SeaShark 600 USVs were tasked with a reconnaissance mission within a designated section of the bay. After receiving the mission parameters, Shield AI's Hivemind autonomy software divided the search area into two sectors, assigning one USV to each.

After one of the USVs detected a target vessel of interest -- a boat -- the information was shared with the other USV in real time. As the first USV pursued the target, the second closed in on it via an optimized route. The two USVs ultimately succeeded in "expelling" the intruder.

Personnel from Taiwan's state-run weapons developer, the National Chung-Shan Institute for Science and Technology, and the Coast Guard Administration attended the demonstration.

According to Maximilian Chen (陳奕儒), Shield AI's director of government relations for Asia, a fleet of five USVs could cover up to 8.3 times their combined search area if Hivemind were used to determine their routes.

Thunder Tiger Chairman William Chen (陳冠如) underscored the growing importance of unmanned aerial vehicles and USVs since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war.

He said the Legislative Yuan should urgently pass a Cabinet-sponsored drone procurement bill to fund Taiwan's purchase of domestically built drones, arguing that government policy is crucial to the industry's development amid the daily security threats Taiwan faces from across the Taiwan Strait.

Lawmakers on Monday referred 14 different versions of the bill to cross-caucus negotiations after they failed to agree on its key components, including title, competent authority and spending cap during committee review.

The Ministry of National Defense has requested funding to procure 1,446 coastal reconnaissance drones, 208,200 coastal attack drones and 1,320 unmanned surface vessels.