Chinese drone exposes Indonesia’s ‘insufficient’ undersea capabilities

Indonesia, however, is likely to remain silent on the find and resolve the issue through “quiet diplomacy”, according to observers.

Last week, an Indonesian fisherman found a Chinese unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) in the Lombok Strait, a key waterway leading to Australia.

Marked with the letters “CSIC”, the drone is thought to be linked to the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, and points to unauthorised undersea activity in one of Indonesia’s most critical maritime corridors.

Located between Bali and Lombok, the waterway is closely watched by Australia and the United States.

The discovery comes amid intensifying regional maritime competition where unmanned devices have conducted covert seabed mapping and acoustic intelligence-gathering.