ASPI’s newly expanded China Defence Universities Tracker reveals how leading Chinese research institutions, including Shanghai University (SHU), are developing advanced uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) to boost China’s military and territorial ambitions. SHU’s Jinghai series are reportedly the first Chinese uncrewed vessels to operate in the South and East China seas and the Antarctic. Equipped with advanced technologies such as radar sensors and control systems, SHU’s USVs conduct scientific missions that enhance China’s maritime domain awareness and its ability to project power in contested waters. USVs are becoming an important capability in the Indo-Pacific’s intensifying maritime contest. As marine vehicles that operate on the surface of the water, USVs are capable of long-endurance autonomy to support research, surveillance and military operations. Like drones, they also function without an onboard crew.
Shanghai University’s uncrewed vessels support China’s maritime push | The Strategist
