China plans to transform disputed islands in the South China Sea into robotic fortresses
Chinese specialists have proposed a new approach to defending disputed islands and reefs in the South China Sea — to create autonomous robotic fortresses on them that will operate almost without human involvement, writes The Moscow Times.
The initiative was developed by researchers from the China Coast Guard Academy and Dalian Maritime University. They propose integrating aerial, surface, and underwater drones into a single system. The project is described in the journal Command Control & Simulation, which specializes in military technologies.
Chinese researchers refer, in particular, to the experience of the war in Ukraine. As an example, they cite Ukraine's use of uncrewed boats, including Magura V5, for group attacks on Russian ships. According to the authors of the study, this demonstrated the vulnerability of large crewed warships to attacks by a large number of relatively cheap drones.
According to Chinese specialists, the traditional defense system, where a human sequentially makes decisions about neutralizing each threat, can be too slow during a massive drone attack. Therefore, they propose transferring a significant part of these tasks to an autonomous system.
Such a "robotic fortress" should consist of a large number of drones of various types. They will jointly control the airspace, sea surface, and underwater zone around the island.
The system will be capable of reallocating tasks among drones if some of them are destroyed. Thus, the loss of individual elements should not lead to a complete collapse of the defense.
It is proposed to coordinate the work of the drones using artificial intelligence. This, according to the researchers, will allow the system to continue operating even with a partial disruption of communication with the control center.
Thus, China views disputed islands and reefs not just as military bases, but as potential autonomous defense complexes capable of independently detecting threats, coordinating drones, and repelling massive attacks.
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