Sea drones found in PH waters ‘likely’ deployed by China — PH Navy

Three of the five submersible drones found in different parts of the country's waters since 2022 were likely deployed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to map out the Philippines’ underwater terrain, a Philippine Navy (PN) official bared Tuesday, April 15.

- By MARTIN SADONGDONG

To date, the PN said there were five underwater drones that were discovered by fishermen and turned over to the Navy since 2022.

“There is a 55 to 80 percent likelihood that these were deployed by the Chinese Communist Party. Why 55 to 80 percent, it is because of the components inside. Not all of them have markings that they were made in China, others are available commercially off the shelf,” said Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, PN spokesperson for West Philippine Sea (WPS).

“They have the capability to receive, to process, to store, and to transmit data through satellite communications to a station on land, to a mothership, or to other drones,” he added. “This will have security implications considering the dual use of the information that they generate. This allows China to monitor the maritime environment through advanced information technology.”