The Americans

first of all, it seems like a quirky-what-are-the-chances-of-this headline:

line in the Chinese state media, But behind this shock there is a Different - and more fascinating - history.

firstly, That was not two or three fishermen received awards. It 11 was a woman, the rest Men - the seven devices in total.

Secondly, it was not the First Time , had Found the fishermen of Jiangsu, "Drones ". In 2018, some 18 rewarded for the search of nine devices. It is also a ceremony That was a year ago.

And thirdly, the rewards were Huge - up to 500,000 yuan ($72,000; £55,000) - roughly 17 times the average disposable income in China.

So, where do the "U-Boot-spies"? What do you do? Why are you valuable?

And why are Chinese fishermen, so Many of them?

Jiangsu is a province in East China, with a coastline of More Than 1,000 km (620 miles) long.

It is in Japan and South Korea , Taiwan , some 500 km to the South. This Geography - and - begins to explain why fishermen are always on these devices.

China has not shown where the devices come from, just to say you were "in other countries".

But regional expert and consultant, Alexander Neill says, they probably came from "the U.S. Navy, the Self Japan-Defense Forces, or potentially Taiwan - this is a great field of rivalry".

So What are The Americans to learn the Japanese or Taiwanese in the hope?

In 2009, the U.S. Navy in underwater Drones , commonly known as "unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs)". The research recommended seven ways, UUVs could be used, including:

The research strengths of UUVs marked. Gliders - a small UUV, is likely to be, what is Found , the Jiangsu fishing - Can be used for "months" and "cheap enough to be expendable".

In this instance, it means cheap "only tens of thousands of dollars".

your cost range, and the ability of my "U-boat spies" are becoming increasingly important, Mr Neill, the estimated number in the world, "certainly in the upper hundreds".

So this explains in part, why they turn up in the Chinese networks. The country has a fleet of large fisheries, and The Law of the series suggests, it will draw the occasional hum.

But it is also true That China's fleet is Different from other countries". Some of the fishermen themselves, are part of the Military and the understanding of how this special unit works, it could explain why you always back on Military hardware.

The Chinese Maritime Militia is part of The National Militia , That is, the reserve of the civilian forces.

It is "almost unique and publicly unknown", from the US Naval war College - But it is well-known in the United States Military .

After a 2017 report by the U.S. Department of Defense, played by CMM "significant roles in a series of Military actions, and the dramatic incidents over The Years ".

In The Past , the CMM rented ships, the companies, or fishermen. But now, the DoD says, "it seems That China is the establishment of a national fishing fleet for his Militia violence".

in fact, Mr Neill said, Many boats are only "masquerading as the ships - they are actually Navy and Maritime Surveillance against China's rivals".

"On paper, you will see how a sophisticated, modern trawlers," he says. "But they're actually peeled, in essence, a Military -type ships of steel, not wood-hulled, with an increasing amount.

"If you look at the photos, it is clear That they are cross-linked in - because of their reporting features - with the [regular navy] command and control network. "

In effect, The Fishing fleet is a low-level, first line of defense, or the monitoring Can - a Military force, working under a civilian guise.

"A very clear path from the China fishery fleet will be jointly decided, in the Militia ," says Mr. Neill.

"I would have thought, with a little digging, you would find these guys [the Jiangsu Fischer], Can also be a part of it. "

China will not only find, underwater-Drones - also operates them.

At the Military parade on the occasion of the 70 anniversary of the people's Republic of China (PRC), the HSU001 a large UUV has been revealed, possibly able to launch smaller Drones .

five months earlier, another Chinese UUV was revealed, in a less formal manner, in the case of the Indonesian fishermen caught a "missile" in Chinese characters and the Riau Islands .

"It's not a rocket, But a sea drone, which is usually used for underwater research"

Although its origin was not confirmed, experts suggest That it is a part of China's vast sub-surface monitoring - the so-called "Great under-water-wall".

So, as a UUV technology developed, more and more fishermen-whether in China, Indonesia, or over - Can expect to find more Drones .

"they [Drones ] to expand the product range of monitoring capacity for all modern naval forces in the region," says Mr Neill.

And as the Jiangsu-prize winner discovered - they Can be a valuable catch.

Source of news: bbc.com