Taiwan is developing an AI-controlled drone swarm system to strengthen its sea defenses, a positive step for the island's security as regional tensions rise.

• Taiwan's Ocean Affairs Council is funding a university team to build a system that lets many drones fly and work together automatically, using AI.
• The drones can take off and land vertically but fly like planes, giving long-range coverage for watching Taiwan's waters and spotting threats such as gray-zone intrusions.
• AI lets the drones plan routes, divide tasks, and avoid obstacles on their own, flying in formation like a flock of birds while keeping safe distance from each other.
• Researchers have already run simulations with 20 drones flying together and now plan hardware testing and real sea trials next.

Outlook: If testing goes well, Taiwan aims to roll out these drone swarms for real maritime patrols, boosting its ability to detect and respond to threats at sea.