Seasats, a maker of advanced autonomous ships, says its Lightfish drone approached the People’s Liberation Army Navy ship on Luzon Island in June.
WASHINGTON, United States – A small California-based drone maker says one of its submarines sailed close enough to a Chinese warship operating in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone to capture what it believes is the first footage of its kind recorded by a private US company.
It shared a video taken on June 16 by Reuters, which has independently verified its authenticity.
Seasats, a six-year-old maker of advanced autonomous ships, said its Lightfish drone approached a People’s Liberation Army Navy ship off Luzon Island in waters where Beijing’s military presence has been a source of regional tension.
The Philippine Coast Guard reported an increase in the presence of Chinese naval forces, including warships, in the region last year compared to 2024.
The Seasats images are interesting less for what they show the Chinese fleet than for what they reveal about the changing nature of war: a tiny drone that costs about $240,000 can approach — and threaten — a billion-dollar warship. In this case, it was a Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy Type 052D destroyer.
“We have the ability to go out and film and get close to recording all this data from a Chinese ship,” Seasats CEO Mike Flanigan said.
Reuters confirmed the vessel’s identity as a Chinese Type 052D destroyer by the layout of the deck, superstructure, cranes and mast, which matched archival photographs.
The location where the videos were recorded was confirmed to be 105 kilometers (65 miles) northwest of Luzon Island by reviewing Seasats data. The date was verified by the metadata of the original file.
China’s foreign ministry defended the country’s military, saying their operations follow international laws and customs.
“We also want to remind the parties concerned to avoid approaching Chinese naval vessels at close range, as this may lead to accidents at sea or in the air,” ministry spokesman Mao Ning said at a regular press conference on Thursday.
The Philippine Embassy said it “reminds all parties to avoid actions that will escalate tensions, especially if found crossing the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone.”
Multiple encounters with Chinese naval vessels
Seasats said it has had many encounters with Chinese naval vessels over the years, including Type 052 destroyers, Type 055 destroyers, and Type 056 corvettes.
The company said its small and low-profile ships often allow them to travel undetected, although Chinese drones and ships emit electronic signatures from their radars and other electronic scanning devices.
The Lightfish is the smallest vessel in the current Seasats range and can be deployed from the back of a truck, small vessel or boat ramp and launched and recovered in minutes. The drone can be carried and launched by one or two people and is designed to operate for months at a time.
Each ship is activated for missions of up to six months and operates in Sea State 6 where waves can be up to 20 feet (6 m) high.
Lightfish ships carry electronic optical and infrared cameras, signals intelligence and electronic warfare payloads, and active and passive sonar systems.
Seasats has raised over $40 million in funding and has recently been awarded over $100 million in US government contracts.
The company also makes the Quickfish drone, which is still in production. Quickfish differentiates itself from similar platforms through a cargo bay designed to deliver unmanned aerial vehicles or perhaps weapons. A third vessel, Heavyfish, is in the design phase. – Rappler.com
