Taiwan reveals first indigenous submarine to much fanfare

Taiwan unveiled its maiden Indigenous Defense Submarine (IDS), displacing approximately 2,700t, at a formal ceremony in Kaohsiung on 28 September.

Christened Hai Kun (SS-711), its name refers to a giant mythical fish that can also fly from classical literature by Chinese philosopher Chuang-Tzu. In English, the submarine has already been dubbed the narwhal.

Construction kicked off on 24 November 2020 after a contract was signed in May 2019. Approximately 70m long and with an 8m beam, this submarine will not be commissioned until late 2024.

At the ceremony, sensitive parts of the submarine were draped in a Taiwan flag or banners, such as the torpedo tubes (presumed to be six), propeller and flank sonar arrays. It is Taiwan’s first submarine to feature X-shaped rudders, which offer greater manoeuvrability than a traditional cruciform rudder configuration.

The design features a partial double hull with six pressurised compartments and a sail with horizontal fins on its sides.

Harbour acceptance tests were to occur on 1 October, ahead of sea trials scheduled for around April 2024. Retired admiral Huang Shu-kuang, a National Security Council member and head of the submarine programme, said ROCS Hai Kun would be handed over to the navy by the end of 2024.

President Tsai Ing-wen attended the ceremony for the future Republic of China Navy (ROCN) boat. ‘In the past, a domestically developed submarine was considered an impossible task. But, today, a submarine designed and manufactured by our country’s people sits before our eyes,’ she said.

President Tsai-Ing-wen attended the submarine unveiling ceremony on 28 September. (Photo: MND)

The IDS project, valued at NT$49.4 billion ($1.54 billion) for each vessel, was initiated by Tsai in 2016. She added, ‘Even if there are risks, and no matter how many challenges there are, Taiwan must take this step and allow a self-reliant national defence policy to grow and flourish on our land.’

Development of CSBC’s submarine construction facility began in May 2019, and it was completed in November 2020. Around 1,000 personnel have been involved in the IDS project, and a team of 40 personnel was formed under the ROCN’s 256th Submarine Squadron to take delivery of the first vessel.

Taiwan opted for traditional lead-acid batteries rather than air-independent propulsion (AIP). The former is stable, reliable and represented less technical risk for Taiwan’s first submarine.

These boats will be critical to Taiwan’s asymmetric warfare preparations to defend against any coercive military action by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

Indeed, the IDS programme is a key deterrent in case Beijing ever thinks an amphibious invasion or naval blockade is the best cause of action in order to subjugate Taiwan under communist rule.

American Institute in Taiwan Director Sandra Oudkirk also attended the ceremony, with the US being a key contributor of technologies for the IDS programme.

Taiwan had been unable to buy new submarines from any overseas vendor since purchasing two Hai Lung-class boats from the Netherlands in 1981, because of Chinese pressure. Even the US was unable to help much since it only builds nuclear-powered platforms. This was despite former President George W. Bush’s hollow promise of diesel-electric boats in 2001.

Risking Chinese wrath, companies from several countries still clandestinely supported Taiwan with this programme. According to a Reuters report, at least seven countries contributed, including the UK and US. Engineers and technicians were also employed from the likes of Australia, Canada, India, South Korea and Spain. Key personnel were hired through Gibraltar-based company Gavron Ltd.

In fact, indigenous content forms just 40% of the submarine. Advanced systems such as the sonar, weapons and electronics were sourced from overseas. Lockheed Martin supplied the combat management system and Raytheon the sonar arrays (based around its Modular Scalable Sonar System [MS3]), for instance.

The IDS will carry MK 48 ADCAP Mod 6 torpedoes and Harpoon missiles. The first IDS does not feature a towed array, but this is likely to be fitted on follow-on boats.

The torpedo countermeasures system was developed domestically by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science & Technology (NCSIST). Two six-shot canisters mounted on the submarine sides can launch torpedo countermeasures.

The second submarine is already under construction, and is due for completion in 2027.

When conceived, the 2016-20 design phase of the IDS was expected to cost $100 million. With Taiwan’s latest defence budget amounting to NT$606.8 billion ($19.1 billion), it can be seen that a unit cost of $1.54 billion per submarine is a significant portion of that.

Some argue that Taiwan might have been better off spending money on cheaper weapons to deter China, and that this ‘prestige’ programme is consuming scant resources. However, Taipei must also consider the long-term viability of its defence posture, and that definitely requires sufficient numbers of submarines to complicate PLA operations in and around Taiwan.

Taiwanese submarines could torpedo Chinese warships, lay mines near Chinese ports, conduct reconnaissance, disrupt Chinese shipping, insert/extract special forces and launch cruise missiles against military facilities near the coast.

Furthermore, anti-submarine warfare is a weakness of the PLA Navy (PLAN), so submarines thus represent a good asymmetric ploy by Taiwan. Of course, the centre of gravity of any fighting would be to the west of Taiwan, facing mainland China. Waters in the Taiwan Strait are shallower than those to the east of Taiwan, making them less suitable for submarine operations.

The Indigenous Defense Submarine is a Taiwanese programme to build up to eight submarines for the ROCN. (Photo: MND)

Snr Col Wu Qian, spokesman for China’s Ministry of National Defense, was dismissive of the new IDS. He described it as ’a broom attempting to hold hack the tide’ and ‘idiotic nonsense’.

With typical bluster, Wu said, no matter how many weapons Taiwan builds, they will ‘not be able to stop the general trend of national reunification, or shake the staunch determination, strong will and strong capabilities’ of the PLA to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

It is true that the PLAN’s submarine fleet greatly outnumbers Taiwan’s underwater fleet, plus submarines are vulnerable when in port. Just ask Moscow after the loss of a Kilo-class boat in a Sevastopol dry dock.

However, submarines at large force an adversary to dedicate large numbers of vessels to counter them. Furthermore, Taiwan would likely have ample warning of any impending PLA mobilisation before any conflict, allowing boats to put to sea.

It should be remembered that the ROCN must also operate in peacetime, and submarines are an ideal tool to monitor Chinese military activity around the island nation.

Photos of Hai Kun at the unveiling ceremony showed alarming rippling in panels on the sail and large weld seams on the hull. Responding to these queries, CSBC said this was ‘normal’ for thin plates welded on to the frame.

However, such skin-deep defects seem far from normal on submarines of any other nation. It is possible that some panels were only temporarily fitted for the ceremony, as construction is not yet completed since periscope masts still need to be added to the sail. L3Harris has not delivered mast-raising systems yet, for example.

The ROCN also has two ancient Hai Shih-class submarines (Guppy II-class relics from WWII), but they are used only for training and they do not submerge. At nearly 80 years old, one of these is the oldest operational submarine in the world!

Interestingly, Taiwan’s NCSIST is also building a smaller submarine alongside the IDS. Called the Huilong, this midget submarine with two torpedo tubes is estimated to be 30m long and with a hull diameter of 3.6m. Intended for testing, this boat with lithium-ion batteries displaces around 100t.

When NCSIST first publicised the Huilong programme in July 2021, it was described as an AUV to act as a technology testbed. The programme commenced in 2019 with a budget of NT$3.6 billion ($128 million).

However, the dimensions of the Huilong suggest it could be a crewed vessel. As such, and when armed, it could potentially be used in a conflict. The first phase of the project is due for completion in 2024.

Related Programmes in Defence Insight

Indigenous Defence Submarine (IDS) Programme [Taiwan]

Related Equipment in Defence Insight

Narwhale/Hai Kun Class