Lower thirds:

00:02 Report by Mathias Bölinger
00:25 Gene Su | General Manager Thunder Tiger
01:08 Mathias Bölinger | DW Reporter
02:09 Cathy Fang | Policy analyst
02:35 Gene Su | General Manager Thunder Tiger

Script:

 00:02 Until recently, workers at  this factory near  Taipei built boats for leisure cruises and fishing.  But new owners have added a deadly model to the product line. They’re drone manufacturer Thunder Tiger  – and they’re using the plant to produce a water surface drone "Sea Shark" - capable of attacking military vessels.  

00:25 SOT Gene Su, General Manger Thunder Tiger ENGLISH 

If there is really a war or a conflict, one sea drone can maybe sink a billion-dollar destroyer.    

00:38 Chinese ships like this are increasingly seen in the waters around Taiwan. Chinese navy drills. Warnings of an outright attack on the island have multiplied, pushing Taiwan to turn to smart ways to take on the much bigger Chinese navy.  

01:01 They’re looking to learn from others.  Like the Ukrainians, who published this footage of an attack on a Russian warship.  

01:06 PTC  Mathias Bölinger, DW Reporter 

Sea drones have proven very effective in Ukraine against Russia's black sea fleet and since then, the interest in this kind of vessel has risen worldwide. Taiwan - being an island - is of course very interested in developing this kind of autonomous sea vessel. 

((01:30-01:39 INSERT Courtesy Thunder Tiger)) 

01:29 Open sea tests with the Sea Shark have gone well, say developers. They worked with Taiwan’s top military research institute. The drones are kitted out  with cameras, and various communication systems to prevent jamming. In the case of war, they could be used for intelligence gathering – or driven directly into a vessel in an attack.  

1:49 Sea drones are just part of the Taiwanese government’s push to develop its capacities. And yet China dominates the world market for drones and drone parts. Buying from them is not an option. And ultimately, Taiwan may need to go a step further, says Cathy Fang from DSET, a government funded think tank. 

02:07 SOT Cathy Fang, Policy Analyst ENGLISH 

If in the war time - like Taiwan is an island. So we can't rely on others. If we are blockaded or quarantined, we need our own supply chain in Taiwan.  

02:20  

Having a totally home-grown drone is not yet possible. But while imports from friendly countries remain permitted, the Taiwanese military requires its contractors to have a strict China free policy.  

02:34 SOT Gene Su, General Manager Thunder Tiger ENGLISH 

That's a challenge in the beginning two years ago. But after we managed to design and get a help from Taiwanese companies and from companies  from the United states and Europe we are now able to have 100 per cent free of China parts...but a little bit more expensive. 

02:58 At the moment, workers at the factory are still making some small boats for civilians.  But the focus for the future is clear. Su hopes, one day they could produce a sea drone a day.