BEIJING – China is reportedly on the cusp of deploying submarines operatedby robots and powered by artificial intelligence forreconnaissance operations as well as for suicide attacks.

According to a report published in South China Morning Post, the country iscurrently testing the robot submarines and may put these to use by early2020. If the tests are successful and if these submarines are indeed put touse, China could exponentially increase its influence in the contestedSouth China Sea and become a massive power in international waters whereits current fleet of submarines undertake regular patrols.

Such submarines are reportedly also being tested by the US but what givesthe Chinese an edge is that its technology would enable submarines toattack and explode autonomously. The submarines may not require humanintervention and could differentiate between friendly and enemy targets.The project – known only as ‘ 912’ currently – is on the lines of Japan’skamakazi style of attacks in which pilots crashed their planes into enemyships in suicide operations.

The Chinese Navy is also expected to soon get its first indigenously builtaircraft carrier and has rapidly expanded and modernised its current fleetof destroyers, submarines and cruiser ships.