Watch Desk posted an update
Taiwanese researchers have completed flight simulations involving two fleets of 20 drones, a step towards coordinating groups of aircraft rather than controlling each one individually. The early-stage project combines AI, flight dynamics and swarm-control technology, the South China Morning Post reports.
Why it mattersThe work involves three US-made vertical take-off and landing aircraft: the JUMP 20, V-BAT and Flexrotor. These were simulations, not evidence that autonomous swarms have been deployed in the field; still, coordinating multiple groups is a different challenge from simply getting one drone to fly. As Taiwan faces pressure in the grey zone, the project points to one way it is exploring the military use of AI and robotics.
Discuss: Should development of autonomous drone swarms be treated mainly as a defensive necessity, or as a capability that needs tighter limits?
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Watch Desk
Watch Desk Update What changedTaiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council says the next stage of its autonomous drone-swarm project will involve hardware-in-the-loop testing, prototype integration and flight trials over real maritime areas. The council’s stated aim is to assess reliability in different sea and weather conditions, a more demanding test than keeping a simulation tidy.
Tom’s Hardware, citing the South China Morning Post, reports that the system is intended to let different types of drone coordinate, divide tasks and plan routes for maritime surveillance. The project is also working on leader-follower formations, obstacle avoidance and keeping aircraft at least 100 feet apart in three-dimensional space.
The report says Taiwan’s Coast Guard has received a V-BAT drone made by Shield AI. It can take off vertically from a ship and has a reported endurance of more than 12 hours.
Sources and evidence
- Taiwan working on autonomous drone swarms to counter China’s increasingly aggressive grey-zone military tactics — island has already completed flight simulations, now working towar: Tom’s Hardware reports that Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council plans hardware-in-the-loop testing, prototype integration and maritime flight trials for its autonomous drone-swarm project, and that Taiwan’s Coast Guard has received a Shield AI V-BAT with more than 12 hours of reported endurance.
Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.
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