Taiwan’s submarine program continues to make progress, with the first keel laid last month.
A secretive ceremony took place on 16 November, where the keel for Taiwan’s first Indigenous Defense Submarine (IDS) was laid at the CSBC Corporation shipyard in Kaohsiung.
Codenamed Hai Chang, the IDS programme’s construction phase commenced in November 2020. Taipei needs modern submarines to dissuade China from mobilising its naval fleet against Taiwan.
This lead boat will be launched in 2024, and seven other submarines will join the ROCN in subsequent years. The submarines are 70m long, have an 8m beam and displace 2,500t.
According to media reports, Taiwan covertly recruited personnel and technology from a dozen foreign defence companies to push forward its submarine-building programme, as Taiwan lacked components, technology and software.