# Chinese researchers set underwater drone swarm record with 116 craft

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/a-chinese-team-made-a-big-splash-with-a-drone-swarm-world-record/
- Published: 2026-11-10T14:45:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-10T15:11:36+00:00
- Original publisher: Engadget
- Original article: https://www.engadget.com/2307769/116-underwater-drone-swarm-world-record-china/
- Topics: Asia, World

## Key points

- China coordinated a record 116 underwater drones.
- The swarm navigated autonomously for about 34 minutes.
- The pool test does not prove performance at sea.

## Summary

Researchers in China set a Guinness World Records mark by coordinating 116 underwater drones in a pool, carrying out formations and manoeuvres autonomously. The trial matters because it demonstrates progress in underwater swarm navigation, a technology with potential uses in research and intelligence as well as military operations.

The August 2026 test involved Northwestern Polytechnical University and Xi’an Tianhe Maritime Technologies, linked to China’s defence sector. Over about 34 minutes, the drones travelled more than 1,600 feet using visual data without human intervention; each is about two feet long and can operate for roughly eight hours. The pool setting does not show how well swarms would work at sea, where visibility, pressure and communication pose greater challenges.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.