THE Philippine Navy on Tuesday said several sea drones recovered in the country’s waters were likely deployed by China and could have been used for preparations for underwater warfare.
Three of the five sea drones recovered in Philippine waters in the past two years had a “50% to 80%” likelihood of being deployed by the Chinese government, Philippine Navy spokesman Rear Admiral Roy Vincent T. Trinidad told a news briefing.
The suspected Chinese sea drones were recovered with water depth, temperature, salinity and underwater sound detection data that could be processed, stored and transmitted to land stations, motherships or other drones via satellite communication, he added.
The Philippine Navy analyzed the drones with the help of allied, “like-minded” nations, Mr. Trinidad said, without disclosing which countries had helped with the analysis.
“It’s very clear that these are used for mapping out the underwater terrain, collecting information and document data,” he said. “All of these are used across different fields, including underwater warfare.”
The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately reply to a Viber message seeking comment.
The Chinese government deployed its so-called Blue Ocean Information Network from 2016 to 2019, allowing Beijing to monitor the South China Sea, according to a presentation by the Philippine Navy.
“This Blue Ocean Information Network is used for scientific, economic and commercial research purposes, but this will have security implications considering the dual-use nature of the information that… allows China to monitor the maritime environment through advanced information technology,” Mr. Trinidad said.
He added that the suspected Chinese sea drones used components made in China. “Some of the components had markings from China, others had defaced markings to probably prevent reverse engineering or to hide the identity of the source.”
The sea drones present a national security threat because they could have mapped out Philippine waters, he added.
“In today’s generation of warfare, information is key; he who holds information will have an advantage,” Mr. Trinidad said.
“Any potential adversary who would like to harm our country would need to know the information not only on land and on air but more importantly, since we are an archipelago, underwater information,” he added.
He said the Philippine military is coordinating with other government agencies to determine “appropriate action.” — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio