China’s minelaying drones point to a new way of enforcing a Taiwan blockade, using stealthy, autonomous systems to disrupt maritime access and deny entry to contested waters. The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported this month that China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could deploy minelaying drones in a Taiwan conflict, targeting waters around Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and the Philippines, based on an analysis published in the Chinese military magazine Shipborne Weapons. The report outlines how the PLA would use AJX002 extra-large unmanned underwater vehicles (XLUUVs) for “offensive minelaying” missions aimed at key maritime corridors, ports and shipping lanes along the First Island Chain to disrupt supply routes from potential interveners such as the US and Japan.

Full report : Minelaying drones could turn Taiwan’s waters into a chokehold, denying access, disrupting intervention and forcing costly responses.