Chinese team sets record for largest underwater drone swarm in a test pool
The result is a lab demonstration, and analysts say a controlled pool does not show the drones could operate at sea.
Researchers at Northwestern Polytechnical University, working with Xi'an Tianhe Maritime Technologies, set a Guinness-recognized record for the largest underwater drone swarm by running 116 TH-618 drones through formations and maneuvers in a pool measuring 164 by 65 feet. The drones, each about 2 feet long and 11 pounds, rely on onboard cameras and AI for navigation, since wireless and satellite positioning are unavailable underwater. Over roughly 34 minutes they covered more than 1,600 feet on visual data alone, with no human intervention. The university, which the US government has designated as a developer of technologies for the People's Liberation Army, presented the result as a breakthrough in large-scale coordinated underwater navigation. Analysts caution that a controlled pool is far from proof of seaworthiness, though the test points to China's broader investment in subsurface drones, which the company's researchers have linked to infrastructure monitoring and seabed mapping.
Why it matters
The trial shows that 116 underwater drones can hold formation and cover ground using only onboard cameras and AI, since they cannot use wireless or satellite positioning underwater. For people watching the field, it is a sign of how far China is pushing subsurface autonomy, with the researchers pointing to infrastructure monitoring and seabed mapping as likely uses. Whether such swarms can work in open water remains untested, and the team that ran the trial is one the US government has flagged for work tied to the military.
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