Zoox issues software recall because its robotaxis may be confused by smoke The NHTSA recently called for autonomous vehicle companies to improve how cars respond in emergency situations. Zoox has issued a software recall for 105 of its robotaxis because of their inability to safely drive through heavy smoke. According to the company's recall report, a Zoox robotaxi interfered with an active fire emergency, prompting the company to develop a software update and issue the recall. On June 20, a Zoox robotaxi encountered heavy smoke from a fire in a traffic lane that hadn't been cordoned off with cones. "The Zoox vehicle entered the scene, then braked hard while attempting to steer away before coming to a stop," Zoox's report says. "The Zoox vehicle, under a teleguidance tactician's guidance, reversed, after which the first responders placed traffic cones at the scene blocking two of the three through-lanes." According to the company, this is the only time a Zoox has encountered an issue with smoke like this, and the software update the company is rolling out now "enhances existing capability of detecting and responding to heavy smoke." Zoox previously issued a software recall in May 2025, after a car in its fleet collided with a passenger car in Las Vegas. Robotaxis' ability (or inability) to handle emergency situations has become a growing concern as companies like Zoox and Waymo have begun testing their software and offering rides in more cities. Earlier in July, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration published a letter demanding autonomous vehicle companies address the problem of robotaxis interfering in emergency situations. The NHTSA also announced plans to meet with companies before the end of July to discuss the issue. "Let me be clear: the inability to detect and appropriately respond to such situations represents a functional insufficiency.
Jul 17, 2026 · via engadget.com
Zoox has issued a recall of the software driving its fleet of 105 robotaxis after one of its autonomous vehicles drove into a smoke-obscured emergency fire scene in Las Vegas, the latest incident to draw federal scrutiny over how driverless vehicles interact with first responders. The incident behind the voluntary recall happened on June 20, during which an unoccupied Zoox robotaxi approached smoke from an active fire scene before emergency crews had fully secured the area with traffic cones. The vehicle entered the smoke, braked hard while attempting to steer away from the scene, then came to a stop. Then, under the guidance of a remote operator, it reversed out of the area. Zoox said its own investigation found no similar incidents in its operating history and that it has already deployed an over-the-air update to its software designed to improve the vehicle's ability to detect and respond to heavy smoke. The recall comes just days after National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Administrator Jonathan Morrison told autonomous vehicle developers that a “clear pattern” has emerged of driverless vehicles interfering with emergency responders. The agency said it has documented incidents involving robotaxis driving into active emergency scenes, blocking ambulances and fire trucks, or failing to recognize warnings such as flashing lights, traffic cones, fire, and smoke. NHTSA plans to meet with autonomous vehicle developers by the end of the month to discuss proposed solutions. This type of problem is hardly unique to Zoox. Waymo has also been involved in several high-profile emergency-scene incidents, including one in Dallas where one of its robotaxis reportedly impeded access for fire crews responding to an apartment blaze. Safety investigators are also looking into other Waymo incidents, including reports of robotaxis passing stopped school buses displaying flashing lights. More recently, Waymo recalled about 3,900 autonomous
Jul 17, 2026 · via autoweek.com
Decoding Autonomous Driving in Mountainous Chongqing As a mountain city, Chongqing is well known for its complicated and multi-tiered road network. But this also makes it a perfect test field for intelligent connected vehicles (ICVs) and autonomous driving technologies. Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications (CQUPT) spearheaded the establishment of a municipal key laboratory for ICVs and vehicle-road coordination, conducting basic research and tackling key technological bottlenecks. The focus is on trustworthy perception, high-precision positioning, safety-oriented cooperative control, and vehicle-road-cloud integration. "Traditional algorithms work well on plains, but not in Chongqing," Li Yongfu, head of the lab and a professor at the School of Automation of CQUPT, said. Multi-level flyovers complicate path planning, while the urban canyon effect created by high-rise buildings leads to frequent GPS signal loss, Li said, adding that consecutive tunnels and steep slopes can instantly render vehicles relying on optical sensors effectively "blind." A core issue that must be resolved for autonomous driving to achieve mass adoption in mountainous cities is ensuring that ICVs can operate safely, smoothly and efficiently despite incomplete perception, unstable positioning, communication latency and frequent traffic disturbances. Rather than immediately rewriting code, researchers at the lab worked on modeling. They began by examining the system-level coupling among vehicles, roads, the cloud, humans and the environment, conducting an in-depth analysis of vehicle motion under complex disturbances. This is like doing a dissection for the mountain city's transportation. The researchers not only need to know where the traffic congestion is, but also why there is congestion and how vehicles interact in this process. Cen Ming, a professor at the lab, said logistics is one of the most promising sectors for the large-scale deployment of autonomous driving. Although roads in ports and parks are relatively closed, their operating conditions are highly complex. Autonomous vehicles operating
Jul 17, 2026 · via stdaily.com
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Jul 17, 2026 · via youtube.com
The robots continue to learn and show us what they don't understand, and this week brings news of another type of emergency situation that a Zoox vehicle failed to safely navigate around. Zoox, Amazon's self-driving car subsidiary, voluntarily recalled all of its autonomous vehicles earlier this month, as KRON4 reports, following a dangerous June 20 incident in which a Zoox vehicle apparently drove into an emergency fire scene that was obscured by smoke. KRON4 obtained the safety recall report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which describes the problem as "The ADS [Automatic Driving Systems] software may fail to detect heavy smoke, allowing the vehicle to enter an area of low visibility, particularly active emergency scenes." The Zoox vehicle reportedly "encountered heavy smoke that obscured an active emergency fire scene that was not cordoned off with cones. The Zoox vehicle entered the scene, then braked hard while attempting to steer away before coming to a stop." A Zoox employee then provided "teleguidance assistance," after which the vehicle reversed safely from the scene.* The report does not say where the fire emergency occurred, but the San Francisco Fire Department was on the scene of a fire in a detached garage on an alley in the Mission District on June 20. Zoox currently only operates in San Francisco and Las Vegas. This recall follows a similar situation involving Waymo vehicles and emergency situations of several kinds. Waymo recalled nearly 3,900 of its vehicles last month, stemming from more than a dozen incidents in California and Arizona in which Waymos failed to recognize active freeway construction zones or ramp closures, which also caused Waymo to temporarily suspend freeway service. Such software recalls typically only require a brief pause in service while the companies push out wireless, "over-the-air" (OTA) software updates for the
Jul 17, 2026 · via sfist.com
Foster City, California, July 17 Brussels Morning Newspaper — Driverless car technology is in the spotlight after Amazon-owned Zoox announced a voluntary recall of its autonomous vehicles due to a software issue that may prevent the system from detecting smoke under certain conditions. The company said the problem involves the vehicle’s automated safety software rather than any mechanical component. Zoox has already begun deploying an over-the-air software update to address the issue across its robotaxi fleet. Zoox Issues Software Recall for Autonomous Fleet The recall affects autonomous vehicles operated by Zoox during testing and development. According to the company, the software may not properly recognize smoke generated by an internal malfunction, which could delay the vehicle’s response to a potential safety hazard. Because Zoox owns and operates its robotaxi fleet, the software update can be installed remotely without requiring customer service appointments. Smoke Detection Problem Highlights Safety Focus Modern autonomous vehicles rely on cameras, radar, lidar, sensors, and artificial intelligence to monitor both the road and the vehicle itself. Smoke detection is an important safety feature because it helps identify overheating components or electrical issues before they become more serious. The latest recall demonstrates how autonomous vehicle developers continue refining software as testing expands on public roads. Recall Reflects Ongoing Autonomous Vehicle Oversight Federal regulators continue closely monitoring autonomous vehicle companies as commercial robotaxi services move closer to widespread deployment. Software recalls have become increasingly common because many safety improvements can be delivered through remote updates instead of physical repairs. Zoox said it remains committed to improving safety while continuing development of its purpose-built autonomous vehicles.
Jul 17, 2026 · via brusselsmorning.com
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie is calling for new statewide standards governing autonomous vehicles during major events and emergencies after traffic gridlock involving Waymo vehicles during the city's Fourth of July celebrations. In a letter to California's transportation secretary, Lurie urged stronger regulation of autonomous vehicles following congestion in San Francisco on July 4 and during a citywide power outage in December. More than 100,000 people came to San Francisco for Fourth of July fireworks festivities. RELATED: July 4 Waymo gridlock in SF after dozens choke streets, some lose power, 1 ran over lit fireworks According to the letter, much of the traffic disruption was attributed to Waymo vehicles and gaps in existing state oversight. The letter said the incident "demonstrated that California's current regulatory framework does not adequately address how autonomous vehicles operate during major incidents, planned or not." Some residents have called for Waymo vehicles to be kept off the streets during large events. Lynnet Spiegel, who said she was stuck behind six Waymo vehicles during the holiday, said, "They definitely should not be around when there's big events happening because it just screws up the whole entire city." MORE: 3 Waymo self-driving cars in 'standoff' cause traffic jam in San Francisco Bryant Walker Smith, a law professor and transportation technology scholar, said restricting autonomous vehicles during major events could be a short-term solution in some situations but not a permanent one. "You need to be able to get that janitor home in the middle of the night. You need to be able to get that emergency room technician into the hospital, and simply saying it's too hard. Sorry, we'll see you when things work better actually isn't an option," Smith said. Lurie also said that during the July 4 gridlock, "reports indicated that
Jul 17, 2026 · via abc7news.com
We have a new and scary story about a Waymo vandalism situation that left a passenger helpless and in grave danger, and Mayor Daniel Lurie has reached out to the state about Waymos compounding the traffic nightmare on July 4th, and what could be done about it. Waymo is having a bad couple of months in the press, just as the autonomous car company is in the midst of a broad expansion effort in multiple US cities. First there was a glitch that was causing Waymos in San Antonio to drive into deeply flooded streets. Then there were the construction zone troubles, which led Waymo to temporarily suspend all freeway service in May. Then there was the grand debacle of July 4th in San Francisco, in which Waymo vehicles were widely documented blocking traffic, driving over lit fireworks, and appearing to stall en masse on a key connector road in the Presidio, making the already congested traffic situation even worse. The July 4th situation served to confirm what city officials had already seen during the December power outage, when Waymos became a hazard and a liability on the streets in an emergency, causing gridlock because they were unable to navigate through intersections with no traffic signals. SF Mayor Daniel Lurie wrote a letter this week to the State Secretary of Transportation Toks Omishakin, as NBC Bay Area reports, urging state leaders to take action in creating regulation around autonomous vehicles and major events or emergencies. Lurie wrote, per the Chronicle, that on July 4th, "Waymo vehicles struggled to navigate growing volumes of vehicular traffic and pedestrians," and "By the end of the fireworks show, autonomous vehicles became immobilized in travel lanes, blocking key streets and ultimately bringing traffic to a standstill." Lurie called on the state to provide a framework
Jul 17, 2026 · via sfist.com
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Jul 17, 2026 · via statesman.com
[Stay on top of transportation news: Get TTNews in your inbox.] Zoox recalls robotaxis after navigation issues through smoke No one was injured in June 20 incident Bloomberg News Key Takeaways: - Zoox recalled software across 105 public-road robotaxis after a June 20 incident in which a driverless vehicle struggled to navigate heavy smoke. - The update addresses autonomous-vehicle safety concerns after the robotaxi braked and stopped near a fire scene, adding smoke-detection capabilities. - NHTSA said it will continue enforcing safety rules and aims to finalize broader autonomous-vehicle competency standards before Trump's current term ends. Amazon.com Inc.’s driverless-car business issued a software recall across its fleet after one of its robotaxis struggled to navigate through heavy smoke, the latest in a string of incidents involving autonomous vehicles at emergency scenes. Zoox released a software update this week for all 105 vehicles operating on public roads, according to a document published July 17 on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website. The move affects the company’s purpose-built robotaxis and not a separate testing fleet of retrofitted vehicles. The voluntary recall stems from an incident on June 20, when an unoccupied Zoox vehicle approached the scene of a fire that was obscured by heavy smoke, braking hard while attempting to steer away before coming to a stop, according to the document. Later, first responders placed traffic cones at the scene, blocking two of the three through-lanes. No one was injured, and Zoox said it’s not aware of any other instances of this kind. In a statement to Bloomberg, the company said the software update “enhances the existing capability of detecting active EV scenes by adding the ability to detect and respond to heavy smoke in certain situations.” Alex Fraser of Cox Fleet discusses how fleets should respond as roadside breakdowns test
Jul 17, 2026 · via ttnews.com
San Francisco Is Fed Up With Autonomous Cars Causing Gridlock Even the most progressive politicians have a breaking point. For San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, that point was provided by brain-dead robotaxis turning the Fourth of July holiday weekend into a total traffic nightmare. Lurie, who famously pushed for San Francisco to become a ground zero for emerging vehicle technologies, is changing his tune. The mayor has officially sent a formal letter to the California Department of Transportation demanding a significant overhaul of the state's autonomous vehicle regulatory framework. The pivot comes directly in the wake of a massive Fourth of July traffic meltdown on the city’s northern waterfront that left thousands of humans completely stranded. The city's fireworks display over the Golden Gate Bridge drew more than 100,000 spectators. As the inevitable gridlock set in following the show, dozens of Waymo autonomous vehicles became utterly bewildered by the surging traffic volumes and heavy pedestrian foot traffic. Instead of routing away or safely pulling over, more than 30 driverless vehicles froze in active travel lanes and parking zones. Exacerbating the calamity, several of the idling robotaxis completely exhausted their battery reserves while stuck, which then trapped municipal buses. Because of the multi-layered gridlock, even getting tow trucks to the scene of the blockage proved nearly impossible, with some vehicle recoveries stretching past three hours. Lurie's letter—first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle—also called back to another major failure from last December, when a power outage knocked out traffic lights across a third of the city. It caused dozens of driverless cars to freeze inside active intersections, paralyzing the city's grid and emergency first responders. "California’s current regulatory framework does not adequately address how autonomous vehicles operate during major incidents, planned or not," Lurie wrote. "California’s challenge now is not just
Jul 17, 2026 · via thetruthaboutcars.com
Zoox has issued a software recall after one of its robotaxis struggled to navigate a smoke-filled emergency fire scene in June. The Amazon-owned company said Friday that it has shipped to its fleet of 105 vehicles a software update that should address the issue. Zoox told TechCrunch in a statement that the software update “enhances the existing capability of detecting active [emergency] scenes by adding the ability to detect and respond to heavy smoke in certain situations.” Nobody was on board the vehicle during the June incident, and Zoox told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that it is not aware of injuries associated with the problem. The NHTSA’s report doesn’t state where the June incident took place, and Zoox declined to say. Zoox’s recall comes just a week after NHTSA administrator Jonathan Morrison sent a letter to self-driving car companies warning them to stop interfering with first responders. “Let me be clear: the inability to detect and appropriately respond to such situations represents a functional insufficiency,” he wrote. “Emergency scenes are not rare or extreme ‘edge cases.’ As such, NHTSA is today issuing a call to action for AV developers and operators to immediately focus their resources on fixing this issue.” TechCrunch previously reported on how Waymo has had repeated run-ins with first responders as it expands into new cities. The company had at least six incidents as of March of this year in which first responders had to physically move robotaxis from an emergency scene. NHTSA said in its report describing the recall that, on June 20, a Zoox robotaxi “encountered heavy smoke that obscured an active emergency fire scene that was not cordoned off with cones.” The Zoox vehicle “braked hard while attempting to steer away before coming to a stop.” A Zoox teleoperator was able
Jul 17, 2026 · via techcrunch.com
Want to Maximize the Money You Make Driving for Uber and Lyft? This One’s for You. We chat with The Rideshare Guy, Harry Campbell, about the future of ride-hailing in the age of autonomy. On this episode of The InEVitable, co-host Jonny Lieberman and I chat with Harry Campbell, founder of the Rideshare Guy, an online resource similar to MotorTrend, except instead of covering everything related to cars, Campbell and team dive deep into all there is to know about driving and delivering for Uber, Lyft, Uber Eats, Door Dash, etc. Even though I was an early adopter of Uber and am currently an active user of Lyft, I’ve never thought about these services beyond my own experience as a user. I’ve made small talk with the drivers that pick me up and asked questions about their cars, but I never considered what it takes to drive for any of the services or how one might optimize the experience by selecting the best platform, vehicle, route, and time of day to make the most money possible. You know who has spent 10-plus years thinking about how to maximize the profits of these companies? Harry Campbell. He went from a career as an aerospace engineer, curious about the emerging gig economy that sprang up around Uber, then Lyft, and eventually DoorDash and other ride-hailing and delivery services, to an Uber driver as a side hustle. What started out as an exploration grew into a startup career and the founding of therideshareguy.com, a clearinghouse for all the tips and trips related to optimizing the profits and experience for those who work as ride-hail and delivery drivers.
Jul 17, 2026 · via motortrend.com
The Trump administration is working to develop new safety requirements governing how autonomous vehicles behave on the road as the industry contends with a series of safety mishaps. Officials aim to finalize the new requirements before the end of President Donald Trump’s current term, Jonathan Morrison, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s top official, said in an interview. NHTSA initially plans to seek comment from the public and industry stakeholders with the goal of identifying “behavioral competencies” for autonomous vehicles, with tests to measure performance. The goal is to craft objective safety standards “so that a manufacturer who is producing the vehicle can know with certainty whether or not the vehicle meets the requirements,” Morrison said. A series of recent incidents has put a spotlight on how self-driving cars can struggle to handle situations human drivers commonly encounter. Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo — the leading operator of paid robotaxi rides in the US — recently recalled thousands of vehicles and suspended freeway operations after its cars drove through construction zones at speed. The company has also faced scrutiny after its vehicles repeatedly failed to slow or stop for school buses. NHTSA said it would continue to address individual safety incidents involving autonomous vehicles through its recall and enforcement authorities. The competency standards would set broader parameters for how self-driving cars should operate on the road, according to the agency. Last week, Morrison called on self-driving vehicle companies to fix problems that have led to their cars interfering with first responders. NHTSA plans to meet with developers about the issue in the coming weeks, he said. “When somebody’s arriving to an emergency scene, they’re not bringing extra people to drive the vehicle off,” Morrison said. “We want to set a bit of a mark that ‘no, this is not acceptable,’ and this
Jul 17, 2026 · via insurancejournal.com
Stellantis, Wayve, and Uber Partner to Scale Robotaxis Globally - Stellantis, Wayve, and Uber are collaborating to develop and deploy L4 driverless mobility services - By combining Stellantis’ world-class vehicle L4-Ready Platforms™, Wayve’s advanced AI Driver, and Uber’s leading mobility network, the companies seek to accelerate the global rollout of robotaxi services - This strategic relationship builds on the companies’ existing collaborations together and reinforces a growing industry consensus that the most efficient way to scale autonomous mobility is through a powerful ecosystem AMSTERDAM, LONDON and SAN FRANCISCO – Stellantis, Wayve, and Uber today announced they have entered a partnership to jointly explore the development and deployment of Level 4 (driverless) robotaxis at a global scale. The collaboration brings together Stellantis’ L4- Ready Platforms™, Wayve’s AI driving technology, and Uber’s global marketplace to power a new generation of fully autonomous vehicles. It also builds on the companies’ existing strategic relationships, including Stellantis and Wayve’s recent L2++ agreement, and Wayve and Uber’s partnership to deploy autonomous rides in London, Tokyo, and ten other cities around the world starting this year. Partnering to Accelerate Scale The new initiative intends to combine the three complementary strengths needed to commercialize autonomy: vehicles, technology, and platform. - Vehicles & Integration: Stellantis will design, engineer and manufacture at scale vehicles built on advanced L4-Ready Platforms™ that have embedded sensor suites and are engineered with the operational requirements, the safety and redundancy required for high-utilization driverless operations. - AI Technology: Wayve will provide the AI driving software that enables the vehicles to understand and navigate complex real-world environments fully autonomously. Built with Wayve’s end-to-end AI driving approach, the technology is designed to adapt across different regions and driving conditions without relying on city-by-city mapping or re-engineering, enabling faster and more cost-effective expansion. - Mobility Platform: Uber will
Jul 17, 2026 · via theautochannel.com
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Jul 17, 2026 · via sfchronicle.com
San Francisco mayor urges state to tighten robotaxi regulations after recent Waymo disruptions San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie is calling on California transportation officials to strengthen regulations governing self-driving vehicles, arguing that two recent incidents exposed gaps in how robotaxis operate during major emergencies and large public events. In a letter sent Thursday to the California transportation secretary, Lurie said the state should adopt new safety requirements for autonomous vehicle companies after disruptions during San Francisco's Fourth of July fireworks celebration and a widespread power outage last December. Christopher White, executive director, San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, said the city's July 4 celebration demonstrated how quickly autonomous vehicles can contribute to gridlock when traffic conditions become unpredictable. More than 100,000 people packed San Francisco's waterfront for the annual fireworks show. Despite advance planning and a geofence intended to manage traffic, White said robotaxis struggled to navigate the crowds. "It took a lot of people a very long time to get where they were going," said White. "There was a lot of road obstruction." According to city officials and transportation advocates, several autonomous vehicles stalled in travel lanes. Muni shuttle buses became trapped in the same congestion, and some vehicles reportedly ran out of battery power. Tow trucks dispatched to remove disabled vehicles were also unable to reach them because of the traffic, with some removals taking three to four hours. "We've seen this now twice in San Francisco," said Marc Vukcevich, director of state policy for Streets For All. Vukcevich also pointed to the city's major power outage in December, when nearly 130,000 San Franciscans lost electricity. Traffic signals went dark across roughly one-third of the city, and autonomous vehicles stopped in intersections, blocking major streets. "It's a challenge that causes real street safety concerns," he said. "Anytime the public right
Jul 17, 2026 · via cbsnews.com
A San Francisco business owner who says he was once one of Waymo's strongest supporters is now calling for changes to the company's emergency response policies after alleging he was trapped inside one of its autonomous vehicles while it was being vandalized. Sherman Watson says he also wants access to surveillance footage from the vehicle, arguing it could help him process and document what happened during the incident. Watch NBC Bay Area News free wherever you are Watson, who frequently posted videos of his driverless rides on social media, said he had long been an advocate for the technology. "One thing about Waymo is there's no driver, which in certain cases is great because a lot of people don't like to talk to drivers, or they feel uncomfortable," Watson said. According to Watson, that perspective changed during an early Saturday morning ride in May after he spent the evening with friends in San Francisco's Marina District. Watson alleges the Waymo vehicle stopped at the intersection of Pierce and Lombard Street, where he saw two young men approach the robocar and jerked its front bumper. Local "The smashing began right away. And they were doing it in tandem. So, one would come up, the other would go grab something. They put this like weird foam thing on top of the hood and then they climbed up,” he said. "And at that point I froze, you know, I just panicked, I froze so I called 911 and Waymo came on," Watson said. Watson alleges that while he was inside the vehicle, someone from Waymo spoke to him through the car's overhead communication system. "The only thing they said is 'we realized there's a problem with the vehicle.' I said, 'Yes, someone's trying to kill me.'" Watson said he repeatedly asked the company
Jul 17, 2026 · via nbcbayarea.com
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has reached out to the state regarding standards for autonomous vehicles during emergencies and major events, following incidents involving Waymo vehicles during the Fourth of July celebrations and the city's days-long power outage in 2025. Fourth of July celebrations in San Francisco drew big crowds. It was a rare opportunity to see fireworks launched from the Golden Gate Bridge; but afterwards, echoes of the rockets were drowned out by complaints of traffic jams when people tried to leave. Watch NBC Bay Area News free wherever you are In a letter to the State Secretary of Transportation, Mayor Lurie indicated that before the fireworks began, driverless Waymo vehicles struggled to navigate the extra cars and pedestrians, and by the end of the show autonomous vehicles became immobilized on the roads, blocking key streets and ultimately bringing traffic to a standstill. “That situation, or that kind of special situation, we are going to face those situations in any city, have to be taken into consideration. Companies like Waymo and the rest of the companies that are trying to deploy those kind of autonomous cars, they have to ask themselves what if, it’s not a perfect world,” Professor and Tech Expert at San Jose State Ahmed Banafa said. Banafa says the question being raised is about training and communication for all scenarios. Lurie also mentioned a major power outage in 2025, where Waymo’s became immobilized during traffic signal outages. Lurie indicated the states’ challenge is not just whether autonomous vehicles can operate safely under normal conditions but whether they can perform reliably under extraordinary ones. “I am waiting to see what they are going to do. Are they willing to take a step forward and talk to city hall and meet with the mayor or the mayors of
Jul 17, 2026 · via nbcbayarea.com
The pitch on an uncrewed submarine is always the same, and it is a good pitch. Take the people out and you no longer need air, food, escape hatches or any of the plumbing that keeps a crew breathing, so the hull gets to spend its volume on batteries, sensors and weapons instead. Then you send it somewhere you would never send a person. Taiwan has one. It is called the Huilong, or Smart Dragon, it runs about 30 meters (98 feet) long, and it has two torpedo tubes in the bow. It has also, so far, been towed out to sea behind a support boat. On June 25, Taiwan’s state weapons lab briefed reporters on a new purchase: an American drone submarine roughly one-thirtieth the weight of the Huilong. Buried in the briefing was the reason. Officials at the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology told the Liberty Times they want to learn how the Americans do autonomous navigation, sensor integration and modular design, because those are the areas where the Huilong program left them short. Two days earlier, a Taiwanese defense consultant had laid out the other half of the problem in the Taipei Times. Taiwan’s rules still assume a human is standing there when an unmanned boat goes to sea. The machine is real, and so was the torpedo The Huilong is a joint job between NCSIST and Lungteh Shipbuilding, the Yilan yard that also builds Taiwan’s Tuo Chiang corvettes and its Black Tide attack boat. Local reporting dates the start of construction work to 2020. Taiwan’s Up Media has put the budget at NT$3.67 billion, somewhere around $116 million. Nobody official has published a displacement figure. Estimates circulating in Taiwanese media and picked up by The War Zone land at roughly 100 tons. Taiwan’s China
Jul 17, 2026 · via autonocion.com