MISLEADING: US sea drone approached Chinese destroyer in SCS undetected

Jerome Tan

A Facebook post claims that a drone from private US-based manufacturer SeaSats was able to capture footage of a Chinese navy vessel in the South China Sea.

CLAIM:

The SeaSats Lightfish drone approached a Chinese guided-missile destroyer at close range while remaining undetected, following a similar encounter in August 2025.

RATING: MISLEADING

CONCLUSION:

While both encounters did take place as described in the post, SeaSats has not confirmed that the Lightfish drone was undetected. Furthermore, in the August 2025 encounter, the Chinese naval vessel followed the drone, not the other way around, disproving the claim that the Chinese navy could not detect the drone.

THE FACTS:

• Reuters independently verified that the encounter took place on June 16, 2026, and that the drone successfully captured footage of the ship, identified as a PLA Navy Type-052D guided-missile destroyer, as claimed in the post.
• In a 2025 interview with Breaking Defense, SeaSats chief executive Mike Flanigan mentioned that the drone was approached by a Chinese ship, identified as CNS Nanchang, then “shadowed…very closely” for 20 minutes.

THE BOTTOM LINE: 

The presence of undersea drones in the region presents challenges related to maritime safety, the risk of accidents, and the potential for further escalation.