Cabinet spokesman Chen Shih-kai said the submarines would be built between 2025 and 2038 as part of the indigenous defense submarine program.
03:42
Taiwan unveils first home-built submarine to ward off possible attack from mainland China
Taiwan unveils first home-built submarine to ward off possible attack from mainland China
Built by CSBC Corporation Taiwan, the prototype diesel-electric submarine cost around NT$26 billion and was ordered shortly after Tsai took office in 2016. It features an X-shaped rudder configuration for operations in shallow waters, as well as a pair of additional small horizontal fins.
It is being made combat-ready and, according to Admiral Huang Shu-kuang, head of the submarine construction program, will have a combat system from Lockheed Martin and be equipped with heavy MK-48 torpedoes of American production.
Taiwan’s Defense Minister Wellington Koo said last month that the prototype was nearing completion of its port acceptance test, which would be followed by a sea acceptance test, or sea trial. According to local news reports, the submarine is scheduled to complete its first sea acceptance test next month, with delivery expected in November next year.
Beijing considers Taiwan to be part of its territory, which could be reunified by force if necessary. Most countries, including the United States, do not recognize Taiwan as an independent state. However, Washington opposes any attempt to take the island by force and is determined to arm the island.
“The construction of seven more submarines and the approval of the budget show the Lai government’s determination to protect Taiwan,” said Su Tzu-yun, a senior analyst at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, a government think tank in Taipei.
He stressed that a submarine fleet, together with land- and ship-based missiles, could provide a “cross-domain deterrent to effectively repel naval and other amphibious attacks by the People’s Liberation Army.”
“The prototype has not even undergone sea trials yet. So how can such a huge budget for the subsequent construction of seven submarines be approved so hastily? This is not a case of ‘drawing the target after shooting the arrow’; it is more like shooting the arrow without drawing a target at all,” he said.
He also pointed out that the sea trials themselves would be a long process.
“These tests will inevitably reveal several deficiencies that need to be addressed, and further testing will be required after these changes are implemented,” he said.
“This test and modification cycle means that the uniform system configuration for the seven successor submarines and the exact budget required will not be determined until the middle of next year.”
However, the cabinet is already in the process of submitting the NT$284 billion budget to parliament, Lu said.
“This move is not only hasty and irresponsible, but also astonishing, given that the average cost of NT$40 billion per submarine is much higher than the construction cost of the prototype, which deviates greatly from global shipbuilding standards. This urgency inevitably arouses suspicion – what unspoken reasons could there be for such a rush?” he said.
02:13
Taiwanese TV drama about PLA attack triggers emotions, concern and criticism
Taiwanese TV drama about PLA attack triggers emotions, concern and criticism
However, Su said that the new submarines are expected to have more modern weapons and facilities, which also explains their higher costs.
Chieh Chung, secretary general of the Taipei think tank Association of Strategic Foresight, said he supports building seven more ships to improve Taiwan’s defenses.
“But budget preparation should be done step by step, and it is not appropriate to allocate a large, long-term budget for mass production of submarines when sea trials have not yet begun and the production configuration is still undetermined,” he said.
“This would result in significant inaccuracies in the budget.”
He said that past practice has been for the legislature, which is responsible for multi-year budget matters, particularly military procurement, to pass budgets when the funds allocated by the Cabinet were relatively low in the first year.
“After the first-year allocation was passed, lawmakers rarely rejected funds for subsequent years,” he added. According to the Defense Ministry, only NT$2 billion will be allocated for funding in the first year.
“The Cabinet’s reliance on this approach is neither appropriate nor acceptable as the testing process for the prototype is inherently more complex than for surface vessels, particularly when the domestically produced vessel is a new design,” he said.
