The Philippine National Police Regional Office 5 (Bicol PNP) confirmed that three fishermen recovered a submarine drone with Chinese markings in the waters off San Pascual town in Masbate on Wednesday, January 1.
Police Brigadier General Andre Dizon, Bicol PNP Director, said that their initial investigation revealed the device has Chinese markings, identified as an HY-119 model.
He added that the submarine drone features various operations, including communication, underwater surveillance, oceanographic research, and naval missions.
Authorities also identified the device’s frequency-hopping capabilities, which enable it to evade detection during underwater operations.
Authorities are still investigating how long the submarine drone stayed in Philippine territorial waters before fishermen discovered it.
Sea Wing ‘Haiyi’?
As the photo and report gained attention, Brigada News FM conducted a reverse image search to identify the type of sail drone recovered in Masbate waters.
The image search identified the underwater equipment as comparable to China’s Sea Wing ‘Haiyi’, an underwater drone developed by Chinese Institution of Oceanology to augment the submarine fleet of China.
International news outfits reported that Haiyi can reach a depth of over 20,764 feet (nearly 6.4 km), surpassing the US world record of over 16,964 feet.
India’s SP’s Naval Forces Journal reported that China first deployed Haiyi underwater drones in the East China Sea in 2015, followed by deployments in the South China Sea. In November 2016, authorities discovered one Haiyi near Quang Ngai in Vietnam.
On February 12, 2019, another Haiyi surfaced near Bangka Island in Indonesia, and another was found in the Riau Islands in March of the same year.
In December 2019, China allegedly deployed at least 12 Haiyi drones in the Indian Ocean using its survey ship Xiang Yang Hong 06.
The Indian-based naval news journal emphasized that the Haiyi submarine drone, though currently unarmed, represents a significant security threat due to its potential for mass deployment.
The Haiyi can detect and track enemy submarines, enhancing military operations. It also allows Beijing to quietly collect hydrographic data and gain a strategic advantage, particularly in the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of other countries, SP’s Naval Forces Journal reported.
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, maintains a personal blog on Medium, and is the communications officer of Hope Builders Organization Negros Island.