TADTE 2025: Taiwan develops new USV as counter-invasion weapon

NCSIST displayed its Kuai Chi attack USV at TADTE 2025 in Taipei. (Janes/Akhil Kadidal)

A new unmanned surface vessel (USV) developed by Taiwan has been conceived to prevent the island from surprise amphibious invasions, according to the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST).

The USV, named Kuai Chi, is being developed under the guidance of Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND), a senior NCSIST project member, Henry Hung, told Janes during the 2025 Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition (TADTE) 2025 at Taipei. TADTE is being held from 18 to 20 September.

Design features

According to information presented by NCSIST at TADTE 2025, the Kuai Chi is specifically designed to be used in Taiwanese waters.

“Considering the characteristics of Taiwan's coast and terrain, it is necessary to use a large number of small, fast, stealthy, manoeuvrable, lethal, and low-cost unmanned USVs … to conduct high-speed collisions and attacks on hostile forces … decisive coastal battles” and with co-ordination with other Republic of China (RoC) military units, NCSIST said in an information board presented alongside the USV.

The Kua Chi, in its current form, is a single-hull vessel. According to Hung, the vessel has a displacement of three tonnes and can achieve a maximum speed of over 40 kt. The USV could have an estimated range of 500 km, he added.

The USV was shown equipped with six launch tubes for loitering munitions. The munitions appeared to be NCSIST's domestically developed Loitering Unmanned Aircraft Type I. This munition resembles the US-origin AeroVironment Switchblade 300, but appears to be slightly larger.