Taiwan Marines Test Sea-Launched Chin Feng I Suicide Drones for Coastal Defense Operations.

Taiwan’s Marine Corps has carried out a live at-sea firing of the Chin Feng I loitering munition from an M96 fast boat near Zuoying Harbor, marking its first confirmed maritime launch. The test signals a shift toward mobile, littoral drone strike tactics designed to complicate Chinese amphibious operations in a cross-strait conflict.

According to information published by the Liberty Times Military Channel, on December 25, 2025, Taiwan’s Marine Corps carried out a live at sea firing of the domestically developed Chin Feng I (Jing Feng I) loitering munition outside Zuoying harbor, using an M96 fast boat as the launch platform. The report follows a firing notice issued the day before and indicates the weapon came from the National Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), with an initial small batch reportedly ordered by the Navy and already delivered for Marine use. It is a quiet but important signal that Taiwan is moving attack drones off fixed land sites and into the littorals where a cross-strait fight would be decided.
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Chin Feng I is a tube-launched loitering munition with EO/IR sensors and AI-assisted targeting, able to strike moving coastal and maritime targets with a high-explosive warhead out to about 8 km from M96 fast boats (Picture source: Army Recognition Edit).

Chin Feng I is best understood as a tube-launched, folding-wing “one shot, one kill” strike drone designed to put a seeker and a warhead on target without calling in larger fires. In a previously released NCSIST test video described by Taiwan’s Central News Agency, the munition is launched by high-pressure gas generated in the tube to give it initial speed, then the wings snap open, and an electric motor takes over to climb to a programmed altitude. Operators build a route on a tablet, upload waypoints, and can fly it for reconnaissance or commit to an attack, keeping a human in the loop for the final decision.

The sensor suite is tailored for the difficult visibility of coastal combat. The system carries electro-optical and infrared sensors for day and night search, with AI-assisted detection that boxes potential targets on the tablet display, after which the operator selects and confirms the aimpoint before terminal dive. NCSIST testing also demonstrated engagement of moving maritime targets and an optional near-proximity detonation mode that can burst close to the target rather than requiring a direct hit, a practical feature against fast craft, exposed troops, and small boats where a miss by meters normally means a miss entirely. Endurance is described at roughly 15 minutes with a control distance around 8 km, paired with a high-explosive payload intended for high-value targets and key personnel.

Mounting this capability on an M96 fast boat matters because the platform already lives in the Marine Corps’ playbook for infiltration, coastal patrol, and rapid reaction. Reporting on the class notes, the M96 can carry special operations personnel at high speed, with a stated maximum around 35 knots, and can be fitted with two .50 caliber machine guns, along with surface-search radar, communications gear, and GPS. In other words, the boat can move a strike team, protect itself, and now potentially launch a precision attack without exposing the crew to direct fire at the moment of engagement.

Taiwan gains a new layer in its anti-landing defense: a small, hard-to-predict shooter that can surge from cover, launch, and disappear back into coastal clutter. In a conflict with China, Marine units could use M96 craft to patrol the gaps between islands and harbor approaches, then push Chin Feng I forward to hunt amphibious connectors, landing craft, escort fast boats, or exposed command and control elements on the shoreline. The EO and infrared combination, plus a human confirmation loop, is also a counter to deception, giving operators a way to discriminate targets when decoys, civilian traffic, and electronic warfare are all in play.

The Zuoying event also fits a broader NCSIST trend toward unmanned systems launching unmanned systems. Chin Feng I has been integrated across multiple carriers, from man-portable kits to unmanned surface vessels and UAVs, widening the angles of attack and complicating enemy defense planning. Recent testing explored combined UAV and USV swarm tactics and referenced improved energetic fragmentation concepts linked to advanced explosive formulations, pointing to an effort to maximize lethality per shot in the dense maritime battlespace.

For Taiwan’s ground forces, including the Army and the Marine Corps, the demonstration is a preview of how loitering munitions can be threaded into joint coastal kill chains. Boats, trucks, and unmanned craft can all become launch points, allowing Taiwan to disperse firepower, preserve larger missiles for priority targets, and force Chinese assault formations to defend against threats arriving from sea level, from above, and from unexpected bearings at night. That is exactly the kind of layered, attritional pressure Taiwan needs if deterrence fails and the fight turns into a contested landing under constant surveillance and strike.