Unprepared, the People's Liberation Army's massive warship suddenly appeared in the frame, and the sudden appearance of the 055 "Nanchang" ship frightened the Americans greatly!

In June 2025, the unmanned surface vessel "Guangyu" of Seasats Company, USA, was conducting a test mission from San Diego to Japan in the Pacific Ocean about 531 kilometers northwest of Guam, when it had a close encounter with the Chinese Navy's 055-type destroyer "Nanchang".

This contact lasted about 20 minutes, with the two ships coming within a few meters of each other.

The "Guangyu" is a 3.65-meter-long, $250,000 glass fiber unmanned surface vessel, mainly used for hydrological surveys and ocean data collection; while the "Nanchang" ship has a full-load displacement of 13,000 tons, is an advanced warship worth $900 million, and at that time was performing escort duties for China's dual aircraft carrier fleet.

Notably, the unmanned vessel did not actively detect the approach of the "Nanchang" ship throughout the process. The latter achieved a stealthy approach by utilizing its powerful low-altitude target detection capabilities, without implementing any electromagnetic interference or physical interception.

This incident highlights three significances:

Firstly, on the technical level, the "Nanchang" ship accurately captured small targets under complex sea conditions, verifying the advanced nature of its dual-band radar and beyond-visual-range detection systems, while the shortcomings of the unmanned vessel in situational awareness and information processing were exposed;

Secondly, on the tactical level, the Chinese Navy demonstrated its monitoring capability over long-range unmanned platforms through non-confrontational contact, while maintaining restraint to avoid conflict, reflecting a mature operational control strategy;

Finally, on the strategic rule level, the incident may intensify the international community's urgent need for behavioral norms for autonomous unmanned systems at sea. Especially against the backdrop of frequent unmanned surface vessel attacks globally (such as in the Black Sea and the Middle East), such asymmetric encounters force countries to re-evaluate their understanding of maritime risks and defense mechanisms, pushing for clear definitions in international maritime rules regarding the close reconnaissance and countermeasures against low-cost unmanned platforms.

Original source: www.toutiao.com/article/1840488537582666/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.