Taiwan strengthens defense strategy with 1,320 Kuai Chi naval drones to dissuade Chinese assault.

According to information published by the Taipei Times on August 25, 2025, Taiwan’s armed forces have approved the large-scale procurement of 1,320 Kuai Chi uncrewed surface vessels in a landmark move to expand asymmetric naval warfare capabilities. The decision follows a successful live-fire demonstration at the Jiupeng Military Base during the Sea and Air Precision Ammunition Firing Exercise, where the Kuai Chi struck targets with precision while operating in a simulated electronic warfare environment, showcasing resilience against jamming and network disruption.
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Taiwan’s Kuai Chi uncrewed surface vessel is a fast, low-cost naval drone designed for swarm operations, capable of suicide strikes, electronic jamming, and coordinated attacks with UAVs to disrupt amphibious landings and inflict heavy damage on enemy fleets (Picture source: Army Recognition Edit).

The Kuai Chi, designed and produced by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, represents a new class of domestically built fast-attack USVs tailored to Taiwan’s coastal defense requirements. Measuring only a few meters in length, the vessel relies on a lightweight hull optimized for speed, agility, and a reduced radar cross-section. Its propulsion system allows rapid maneuvering in shallow waters and littoral environments, making it particularly suited to Taiwan’s rugged coastline and island chains. Payloads can be configured depending on mission requirements, ranging from high-explosive charges for suicide strikes to sensor and communications suites for reconnaissance or electronic warfare. The platform is also compatible with modular control systems, allowing either remote piloting or autonomous waypoint navigation under contested conditions.

The Kuai Chi’s most critical operational feature lies in its ability to operate as part of coordinated swarms. Deployed in groups numbering from a handful to several dozen, these USVs can overwhelm an adversary’s defensive systems by saturating radar screens, forcing the enemy to expend precision-guided weapons, and ultimately enabling at least a portion of the swarm to break through to deliver lethal effects. In practice, this gives Taiwan a highly flexible deterrent against amphibious landing ships, logistics craft, or even larger surface combatants. Beyond offensive strikes, Kuai Chi units can also serve as mobile decoys, drawing attention away from Taiwan’s more valuable missile and drone assets. When paired with Ching Feng I FPV drones or Albatross II UAVs, the system becomes part of a broader kill web, linking sea, air, and electronic warfare capabilities into a single operational package.

The Kuai Chi would likely be deployed along Taiwan’s western seaboard and near critical maritime approaches such as the Taiwan Strait and the Bashi Channel. Swarm deployments could ambush amphibious convoys, disrupt staging areas for a landing force, or complicate PLAN fleet maneuvers by forcing constant vigilance and counter-drone actions. Their expendable nature and relatively low cost compared to traditional warships provide a favorable cost-exchange ratio, particularly against high-value adversary vessels or advanced missile systems. During wartime, Kuai Chi units could be dispersed and hidden in civilian harbors, fishing ports, or camouflage shelters, allowing rapid activation at the onset of hostilities to surprise enemy forces.

The strategic logic behind this program is rooted in Taiwan’s broader geopolitical situation. The island faces sustained pressure from Beijing, which continues to expand its naval and amphibious capabilities while intensifying gray-zone activities around Taiwan’s air defense identification zone and maritime boundaries. The People’s Liberation Army Navy has already developed large amphibious assault ships and increasingly sophisticated carrier strike groups, underlining the threat of a potential forced reunification campaign. For Taipei, this makes a reliance on expensive and vulnerable capital ships increasingly untenable. Instead, Taiwan has embraced the “porcupine strategy,” often described as a hedgehog approach, which emphasizes survivability, dispersion, and the ability to inflict severe costs on an invading force through asymmetric and unconventional methods.

The Kuai Chi USV fits squarely within this doctrine by providing a scalable and resilient tool that can exploit Taiwan’s geography. By denying adversaries easy access to the coastline and complicating operational planning for amphibious assaults, swarms of Kuai Chi vessels reinforce the island’s deterrent posture. When integrated with land-based anti-ship missile batteries, mobile artillery, and advanced drone networks, the system ensures that even if conventional air and naval superiority cannot be achieved, the risks for any aggressor remain unacceptably high. This concept not only strengthens Taiwan’s immediate defense but also signals to international partners that the country is investing in self-reliant technologies to sustain prolonged resistance in the event of conflict.

Parallel to the Kuai Chi initiative, Taiwan’s Executive Yuan has approved a central defense budget of NT$949.5 billion (US$31.04 billion) for 2026, representing 3.35 percent of GDP. Key allocations cover the next-generation frigate initiative under the Zhenhai Project, which will initially deliver two 2,000-tonne multi-role frigates with potential expansion to 6,500 tonnes. These ships are expected to be equipped with phased-array radar, advanced combat management systems, and vertical launch cells, creating a modern surface fleet backbone to operate alongside unmanned platforms. Together, the combination of heavily armed surface combatants and large-scale unmanned swarms reflects Taiwan’s determination to pursue a balanced yet asymmetric naval strategy capable of countering superior adversary numbers.

The unveiling of the Kuai Chi program and its operational integration will likely take center stage at the upcoming Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition in September. For Taiwan, this moment not only showcases a leap in indigenous unmanned warfare development but also reinforces the message that the island is preparing to resist and adapt to the evolving maritime threats posed by the region’s shifting security environment.