Photos of the Huilong unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) or Smart Dragon, created on the island of Taiwan, also known as the Republic of China, appear in the public domain. This underwater vehicle is undergoing technical maintenance after the latest stage of sea trials.
At the same time, we can note the main weapon element of the Taiwanese Smart Dragon: two torpedo tubes for launching torpedoes or mines.
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As The War Zone states in its publication, work on the creation of the Smart Dragon underwater drone began in 2020, referring to a rather large device with a displacement of 100 tons, a hull length of 30 meters, and a width of 6 meters.
If we summarize other known details about this underwater vehicle, a somewhat strange picture emerges. For example, the publication reports that the Smart Dragon supposedly lacks its own propulsion system and can only operate at sea while being towed. However, the hull of this underwater vehicle shows control fins and other elements that indicate otherwise, namely that it is a fully autonomous unmanned submarine.
Another detail is that the military leadership of the Republic of Taiwan claims it is working on the Smart Dragon purely for research purposes, such as testing hydroacoustic equipment. Yet, there is a new inconsistency regarding why this underwater drone is equipped with torpedo tubes.
Moreover, there are even suggestions that the Smart Dragon might have the option to accommodate 2-4 crew members; this raises further questions about the actual direction of Taiwan's program, which currently seems more focused on developing a classic submarine fleet.
On the other hand, we should note that such an underwater vehicle would be quite relevant for the Ukrainian Armed Forces in countering surface ships and submarines of the russian Black Sea Fleet.
Furthermore, it is worth recalling the story from December 2023 about the plans for building a mini-submarine 600 kilometers from the Black Sea and how such a weapon could help, as there have been reports about an order likely made in the interests of the Ukrainian Navy, but this story has not yet developed further.
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