Drone boat approaches, videos Chinese destroyer in Philippines EEZ

Reuters

A small uncrewed boat sailed close enough to a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) guided-missile destroyer in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in June 2026 to capture what might be the first footage of its kind recorded by a private United States firm, the drone vessel’s manufacturer reported.

The Seasats Lightfish video is striking for what it reveals about the changing nature of war: A small drone that costs about $240,000 can get close to — and theoretically threaten — a billion-dollar warship.

Seasats shared the video with Reuters, which independently verified its authenticity. The news service substantiated the identity of the PLAN destroyer by its deck layout, superstructure, crane and mast, which matched archive imagery.

Seasats, a California-based producer of autonomous surface vessels, said its Lightfish drone approached the PLAN ship off Luzon Island in waters where Beijing’s military presence is a persistent source of regional tension.

The Philippine Coast Guard reported an increased presence of Chinese maritime forces, including warships, in 2025. Many of the ships’ encounters with Philippine vessels took place within the Philippine’s EEZ, an area in which China has no valid claim of sovereignty. In a case brought by the Philippines, an international arbitral tribunal in 2016 found no legal basis supporting China’s assertion of historic entitlements to much of the South China Sea, part of which Filipinos call the West Philippine Sea. China ignores the ruling and continues harassing other nations’ government and fishing vessels in the resource-rich sea, which is a vital trade route.

The Seasats video was recorded 105 kilometers northwest of Luzon Island, according to a review of company data.

China’s foreign ministry defended the country’s military, saying its activities followed international law and practices.

The Philippine embassy reminded all parties “to avoid actions that would escalate tensions, especially if found trespassing through the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone.”

Seasats’ uncrewed vessels’ small, low profile often allows them to navigate without detection, the company said. They have had multiple previous encounters with China’s naval vessels, including destroyers and corvettes, Seasats said.

The Lightfish is the smallest boat in Seasats’ current lineup and can be deployed from the back of a pickup truck, small craft or boat ramp, and launched and recovered in minutes. The drone can be carried and launched by one or two people. Each vessel is hybrid-fueled for missions of up to six months and is operational in rough waters with waves up to 6 meters high.

Lightfish vessels have carried electro-optical and infrared cameras, signals intelligence and electronic warfare payloads, and active and passive sonar systems.