Indonesian fisherman finds drone submarine on possible secret mission | Espionage

Indonesian fisherman finds drone submarine on possible secret mission | Espionage

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An Indonesian fisherman has found what is believed to be a Chinese submarine drone in waters on a strategic maritime route from the South China Sea to Australia.

According to the Indonesian media, the unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) was found near Selayar Island in South Sulawesi on December 20. Six days later, it was handed over to the police and then handed over to the Indonesian army.

Military observers said the drone was apparently a Chinese sea wing (or Haiyi) UUV. The underwater glider was developed by the Shenyang Institute for Automation at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and is publicly described as the collection of data including seawater temperature, salinity, turbidity and oxygen levels. Information on currents and direction of movement is transmitted in real time.

The Chinese central government did not comment.

According to military focus Naval News, UUV data can be extremely valuable to naval planners, especially for submarine operations: “The better a navy knows the waters, the better it is able to hide its submarines.”

China is accused of expanding activities in the disputed South China Sea and has conducted widespread oceanographic research in areas of military importance. In 2019, China conducted ocean surveys in northern Papua New Guinea, where the US and Australia operate a joint naval base on Manus Island, and in March this year near Christmas Island, an Australian area north-west of the main continent. It is known that submarines regularly transport in the area, the ABC reported at the time.

An Indonesian safety analyst, Muhammad Fauzan, told the ABC that the drone was likely to map future submarine routes as it was found far from Chinese waters and in a major maritime route between China and Australia’s northernmost city.

According to Fauzan, there are significant questions about whether the drone, if it is a Chinese instrument, is used for intelligence gathering or illegal land surveying.

‘This is at least the third time such a drone, which I and many people, including experts, believe was a Chinese underwater drone, [has been] found in Indonesian territorial waters, ”he said.

‘But perhaps this latest discovery is more important, as it is only reported that the drone is still active when the fishermen found it. They said the drone was still moving and that the light was still flashing and the forward sensors were still working. And this is the first time we have heard the army publicly say that they have secured the drone and are conducting a full investigation into the drone, which according to the latest report is currently being carried out in the second naval headquarters of the Indonesian. fleet in Surabaya. ”

Another variant of the Sea Wing UUV was discovered by Indonesian fishermen in the Riau Islands closer to the South China Sea in March 2019, and another in January this year in East Java. A Chinese naval ship found a U.S. submarine in December 2016 and seized international waters near its coastline that the U.S. Navy was recovering.

‘The Chinese naval ship ASR-510, a ship of the Dalang III class, landed within 500 meters of the [US ship] Bowditch, launched a small boat and seized the UUV, ‘the Pentagon said in a statement at the time.

The UUV was only returned after the incident increased.

Non-electric mechanics and low energy consumption mean the drones can be used for months or even years, according to Chinese state media. According to a report, UUVs have been tested and used in the East China Sea, the South China Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. The Sea Wings spent more than 6,400 days at sea, observing more than 160,000 km and reaching depths of 7,076 meters in the Mariana trench.

In February 2020, the Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources said that China had deployed 12 Sea Wing UUVs in the Indian Ocean for scientific research.

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