Taiwan has announced plans to acquire 1,320 Kuai Chi naval drones. This decision came after the drones successfully passed trials, during which they operated in conditions of active electronic warfare.
Kuai Chi's launched smaller drones from their decks to jam and suppress enemy close-in defenses. Afterward, Kuai Chi drones attacked dynamic targets using their onboard warheads, according to the local outlet Taipei Times.
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The Kuai Chi naval drone has not yet been unveiled to the public, but after the tests, it may be showcased at the defense technology exhibition in Taipei, scheduled for September 18–20 of 2025. Its exact specifications remain unknown.
However, the outlet reports that Kuai Chi could be equipped with an unspecified Kuai Chi Ching Feng I combat module, FPV kamikaze drones, and Albatross II UAVs (likely an error, since the Albatross II is quite large and requires a runway for takeoff). In addition, Kuai Chi itself may also be used as a kamikaze naval drone.
It is also reported that multiple Kuai Chi drones can swarm together for group attacks, overwhelming enemy detection and defense systems. Overall, this resembles the naval drones already in operation in Ukraine.
They may also conduct kamikaze attacks against russian ships and deploy FPV drones. Other specifications or even the cost are not yet known, making comparisons difficult.
Funding for the Kuai Chi procurement will come from a new special defense budget aimed at strengthening resilience. Delivery of all 1,320 drones is planned to take about five years.
All these drones will be distributed among four units, including the Navy's planned new Coastal Command (to be created in 2026), the Marine Corps, and the Special Operations Command.
While 1,320 naval drones is a significant number, considering the five-year delivery schedule, each unit will receive only about 110 drones per year. This might not be sufficient in the event of a war between China and Taiwan.
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