Taiwan has not requested assistance from the US to overhaul its two aging US-built GUPPY-class submarines and is to carry out the project on its own, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) said on Sunday.
Lin, who led a delegation of Taiwanese legislators to Washington earlier this month, told a press conference that the navy is capable of replacing the hulls of the two vessels, so the government has no need to seek related US support.
The maintenance is considered necessary for national security and its costs would not be a problem, Lin said.
He said the work would allow the navy to learn more about the structure of submarine hulls, which will be useful if a planned project to build submarines domestically goes ahead.
At present, Taiwan has four submarines — the two 70-year-old GUPPY, or Greater Underwater Propulsion Power Program, ships, which are used for training, and two Dutch-made subs that serve as the navy’s submarine battle force.
The navy has increased its budget for overhauling the GUPPY-class submarines from NT$450 million (US$14.9 million) to nearly NT$800 million, citing the difficulties involved.
During the discussions in Washington early this month, Taipei presented two proposals — either buying submarines from the US or building them on its own using technology provided by Washington — Lin said on Sept. 11 at a press conference.
Lin said that the indigenous submarine plan would involve replacing the hulls of the GUPPY-class submarines and upgrading their equipment.
In April 2001, then-US president George W. Bush decided to help Taiwan acquire eight diesel electric submarines, but there has been little progress since then, which has been attributed to the US no longer producing the conventionally powered vessels.
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