TADTE 2025: CSBC positions Endeavor Manta as unmanned attack vessel

CSBC Corporation demonstrated the technologies and autonomous capabilities of the Endeavor Manta to the Republic of China Navy in March 2025. (CSBC Corporation)

Taiwan's CSBC Corporation has said that it is positioning its Endeavor Manta unmanned surface vehicle (USV) as a stand-off, kamikaze weapon that can be acquired for the Republic of China Navy (RoCN).

While the company conducted a demonstration of the USV for the RoCN in March, a CSBC spokesperson told Janes on 19 September during the Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition (TADTE) 2025, held in Taiwan from 18 to 20 September, that it is awaiting further details on the navy's requirements.

Development of the Endeavor Manta began in March 2024, according to the company spokesperson. The USV, which has a displacement of more than five tonnes, a length of 8.6 m, a width of 3.7 m, and an effective range of 250 km, can be armed with a one tonne weapons payload.

According to the company spokesperson, CSBC is waiting for the RoCN to issue its requirements about whether the service wants a USV platform “capable of a one-shot [kamikaze] mission” or a multirole platform capable of searching out and destroying mines.

Features

Janes understands that the Endeavor Manta project emerged from CSBC's observations of the effectiveness of Ukrainian USV operations in the Black Sea during the ongoing conflict with Russia.

According to the company spokesperson, the Endeavor Manta is designed to conduct high-speed attacks on a hostile fleet approaching Taiwan's coastline. “However, we also had to develop a new design capable of operating in the harsh waters of the Taiwan Strait. The conditions of the waters in the Taiwan Strait are unlike the Black Sea, which has calm waters capable of supporting several USV hull designs,” the spokesperson said.