The Ministry of National Defense (MND) estimates that design blueprints for a domestically manufactured prototype submarine could be drawn up between 2016 and 2019, with a domestically manufactured prototype possible as soon as 2024, Deputy Minister of Defense Kao Tien-chung (高天忠) said yesterday.
Lawmakers on the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee grilled Kao over details of the ministry’s plans to manufacture a submarine fleet domestically.
Kao said that the Ship and Ocean Industries R&D Center (SOIC) is currently responsible for coordinating the submarine project, with the Taiwan Shipbuilding Corp the major contract partner under consideration.
Photo: Wang Min-wei, Taipei Times
While the government is still reviewing its domestic manufacturing capability, it estimates that the project would enter the “contract design” phase between 2016 and 2019, during which time a design blueprint would be produced.
Because a prototype submarine will take an estimated five years to construct, 2024 is the soonest a prototype could be expected, he said, adding that that timeline assumes that the construction process goes smoothly.
In response to questions from legislators over the possibility of acquiring Japanese technology, Kao said that the ministry inquired into the possibility of doing so, but ultimately determined that using US-provided technology was the best plan.
The report provided by the SOIC said that the center has conducted on-site investigations into submarine manufacture in Great Britain, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy, Canada and the US.
The report said the center already had a clear grasp of related equipment manufacturers and other organizations that could provide technological support.
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