Taiwan Coast Guard Buys First Drone Boat: Devil Ray T24
A co-production deal between US firm MARTAC and Taiwan’s Confucian Co. boosts maritime awareness in the Taiwan Strait while growing the island’s own unmanned-systems industry.
Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration (CGA) has announced it will add the MARTAC-built Devil Ray T24 unmanned surface vessel (USV) to its fleet, marking the agency’s first unmanned surface vessel program of any kind.
The Devil Ray T24 is an 8.4-meter (27.5-foot) autonomous surface platform capable of burst speeds above 50 knots. It is built to handle a wide range of coast guard and military missions in complex maritime environments, with the manufacturer listing maritime domain awareness, patrol and surveillance as the primary use cases for this configuration.
Neither the number of vessels nor the contract value has been disclosed, a common pattern in regionally sensitive defense deals. What has been made public is the production structure: some of the vessels will be built at a MARTAC strategic partner’s facility in Edgewater, Florida, with the rest produced in Taiwan by Confucian Co. The arrangement is designed to do more than speed up delivery — it also aims to strengthen Taiwan’s domestic unmanned-systems industry and create local jobs.
The roots of the deal trace back to 2025, when MARTAC, Taiwan’s National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) and Confucian Co. signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding at the 2025 Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition. Today’s announcement shows that groundwork converting into an actual commercial program.
MARTAC Chief Growth Officer Seamus Flatley described the agreement as “a landmark moment for MARTAC and for the adoption of unmanned surface vessels in the Indo-Pacific region.” Confucian Co. CEO James Lee called it “the Taiwan Coast Guard’s first Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) program,” underlining its institutional significance.
Rising Chinese naval and air activity around the Taiwan Strait in recent years has pushed the island’s coast guard and navy to accelerate investment in unmanned systems. USVs carry lower operational risk than crewed vessels while offering round-the-clock patrol and early-warning capability — a combination that is especially valuable for an agency covering a large maritime area with limited personnel and budget.
The industrial dimension of the program stands out as well. The US-Taiwan technology-sharing model aligns with Washington’s stated goal of strengthening Taiwan’s own defense-industrial capacity. Bringing Confucian Co. into the production process is one more step in Taiwan’s shift from being purely a buyer of unmanned systems to becoming a producer as well.
The larger Devil Ray T38 has already seen use in live-fire exercises and counter-drone missions with the US Navy in the CENTCOM area of responsibility. It remains unclear which sensor and weapons packages will accompany Taiwan’s T24 configuration; CGA’s stated intent is to use the platform primarily for surveillance and patrol duties, with any decision on arming it to be addressed separately.
The Coast Guard Administration will also need to prepare personnel for the maintenance and operation of the new platform, meaning a period of training and testing likely spanning several months following initial deliveries. According to the manufacturer, later phases of the program may involve customizing the sensor suite and communications infrastructure to local requirements.
Sources:
- Naval News, “Taiwan Coast Guard to Acquire MARTAC Devil Ray T24 USVs,” October 19, 2026, https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2026/10/taiwan-coast-guard-to-acquire-martac-devil-ray-t24-usvs/ — contract details, production plan and official quotes used throughout.