Shanghai University’s Uncrewed Vessels Support China’s Maritime Expansion
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[By Astrid Young]<\/em><\/p>\n ASPI\u2019s newly expanded China Defence Universities\u00a0Tracker<\/a>\u00a0reveals how leading Chinese research institutions, including Shanghai University (SHU), are developing advanced uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) to boost China\u2019s military and territorial ambitions.<\/p>\n SHU\u2019s 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\u2019s USVs conduct scientific missions that enhance China\u2019s maritime domain awareness and its ability to project power in contested waters.<\/p>\n USVs are becoming an important capability in the Indo-Pacific\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n For example, the United States Navy\u00a0deployed\u00a0USVs in 2022 for operational surveillance in the Persian Gulf, a contested maritime environment where US vessels are often challenged by Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Navy.<\/p>\n Historically, the US has had a technological edge, but China\u2019s rapid advances in autonomy, swarm intelligence and cross-domain integration\u2014linking\u00a0USVs with uncrewed systems in the air, space and land domains\u2014are closing the gap.<\/p>\n Established in 2010, SHU\u2019s Research Institute of Unmanned Surface Vehicle Engineering is China\u2019s\u00a0first\u00a0dedicated USV research institute. The institute has a stated focus on uncrewed, intelligent and swarming transportation systems for military and civilian uses, with the\u00a0explicit\u00a0goal of contributing to China\u2019s maritime and polar strategies as well as national defense.<\/p>\n SHU holds a secret-level security clearance, an official\u00a0certification\u00a0given by key military and defense committees of the Chinese Communist Party that enable it to undertake classified defense projects. ASPI\u2019s Defence Universities Tracker assesses SHU as a high-risk university for its involvement in defense research, strong ties to China\u2019s defense industry, and supervision by the State Administration for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense.<\/p>\n The institute has\u00a0developed\u00a015 intelligent USVs, named the \u2018Jinghai\u2019 series, that have been deployed on numerous research and geological survey vessels and procured by the China Maritime Safety Administration and the State Oceanic Administration for use on their patrol and surveillance vessels.<\/p>\n Each of the Jinghai vessels is\u00a0specialized\u00a0for specific mission tasks. This\u00a0includes: conducting hydrographic surveys; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; search and rescue operations; firepower strikes; naval battlefield information support; and mine clearing.<\/p>\n Shanghai University\u2019s series of 15 Jinghai uncrewed boats and where they were tested. Source:\u00a0Shanghai University Artificial Intelligence Research Institute.<\/p>\n In 2013, Jinghai-1 conducted an\u00a0exploration\u00a0in the South China Sea with Coast Guard Ship 166, surveying more than 20 islands and reefs in the Paracel and Spratly Islands. This exploration provided data assistance for China\u2019s\u00a0subsequent\u00a0reef reclamation and artificial island construction in 2014. This included the Fiery Cross Reef\u2014a contested part of the Spratly Islands claimed by many countries.<\/p>\n Between 2015 and 2017, SHU\u2019s Jinghai-3 conducted\u00a0extensive\u00a0geological surveying and nautical mapping of the islands and reefs in the South and East China Seas, deployed from the Xiangyanghong 19 <\/em>survey vessel. This timing\u00a0corresponds\u00a0with China\u2019s large-scale reef reclamation and island construction in 2013 and extensive infrastructure construction in the following years.<\/p>\n The research team was\u00a0commended\u00a0by the East China Sea Navigation Support Center of the Ministry of Transport, which recognized that the exploration \u2018significantly improved [China\u2019s] marine mapping \u2026 and ability to safeguard national sovereignty and maritime rights and interests\u2019. That center also\u00a0procured\u00a0the Jinghai-2 USV for its own use in China\u2019s surrounding waters and in Antarctica.<\/p>\n In 2014, SHU\u2019s Jinghai-2 was\u00a0reportedly\u00a0China\u2019s first uncrewed vessel to survey Antarctica. The survey results identified an anchorage location for China\u2019s Xuelong <\/em>polar research vessel. In 2023, two Jinghai uncrewed boats were\u00a0equipped\u00a0onto the Chinese Antarctic scientific expedition vessels Xuelong <\/em>and Xuelong 2 <\/em>and conducted surveying around China\u2019s research station Changcheng and Marie Byrd Land, an unclaimed Antarctic region. The expedition was crucial in supporting the construction of Qinling, China\u2019s fifth Antarctic station and its first on Antarctica\u2019s Pacific coast. SHU\u2019s Jinghai vessels were also\u00a0deployed\u00a0for coastal security patrols during major events including the 2017 BRICS Summit, 2017 Bo\u2019ao Forum and 2018 Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.<\/p>\n In 2020, SHU built the BGP Boy, reportedly China\u2019s\u00a0first\u00a0dedicated USV for seismic exploration. It conducted surveys of oil and gas under the sea floor with the state-owned Bureau of Geophysical Prospecting, a unit under China National Petroleum Corporation.<\/p>\n In 2021, the USV research team tested\u00a0swarm intelligence\u00a0for cluster control by integrating USVs and uncrewed aerial vehicles in cross-domain swarming. The\u00a0latest\u00a0USV, the Jinghai-15, was developed with multi-functional reconnaissance and vigilance capabilities, both of which are crucial attributes of uncrewed combat systems. The institute has explicitly\u00a0stated\u00a0that cross-domain synergy\u2014coordinated operations involving drones, vehicles and vessels guided by swarm intelligence algorithms\u2014will be used to carry out complex surveillance missions. In the same year, SHU\u00a0established\u00a0a joint venture company, Jinghai Intelligent Unmanned Technology, to commercialize its USV patents.<\/p>\n Researchers from the USV institute have since\u00a0worked\u00a0on national defense projects for the Central Military Commission of Science and Technology as well as the Chinese navy\u2019s Equipment Department in areas such as autonomous defense systems.<\/p>\n ASPI\u2019s China Defence Universities Tracker exposes the sheer breadth of China\u2019s research ecosystem, its integration of the Chinese Communist Party\u2019s military-civilian fusion strategy and its depth of innovation when it comes to critical technologies. This visibility enables policymakers, defense planners and industry partners to grasp the full scope of China\u2019s ambitions, strengthening due diligence processes, risk management and informing future policy decisions.<\/p>\n For more information about SHU and about China\u2019s USV research, visit the ASPI China Defence Universities Tracker\u00a0website<\/a>.<\/p>\n Astrid Young\u00a0is a junior researcher at ASPI, which provided this content. This article may be found in its original form here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \t
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