Taiwan starts designing home-built attack submarine
Officials says first sub should be completed by 2024
Taiwan’s military said on Thursday it has already begun the process of designing a long-sought-after domestic attack submarine, hoping to complete it in 2024.
Navy Command Headquarters Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Mei Chia-shu told a legislative committee session: “We plan to complete the design by 2019 and complete the construction by 2024.”
Defence Minister Feng Shih-kuan said “outside pressure” was the biggest factor and challenge for the project, referring to mainland China. The mainland considers Taiwan a breakaway Chinese province that should be reunited with the rest of the country.
The submarine is part of the navy’s 15-year plans to rebuild its military might and strengthen the island’s defence industry. The plan was first announced in 2014 and the ministry established a task force last month to help push the project forward.
No countries have been willing to provide Taiwan with a design blueprint, mainly due to fears of political consequences from mainland China. Mei said the navy was planning to obtain the design blueprint from the Netherlands, the country that designed and built two of the island’s diesel-powered submarines.