Taiwan’s first indigenous defense submarine on Tuesday was moved out of a dry dock to Pier 91 at Kaohsiung Harbor, with the vessel expected to start preparing to undergo diving tests, although the shipbuilder refused to comment on the matter other than to say that everything was proceeding according to plan.
The Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal) has been through sea trials while based at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard, and sources said that the move to Pier 91 was to facilitate submergence trials before the end of this month, with delivery to the navy scheduled for November.
However, CSBC had no comment on the activity.
Photo courtesy of a reader
The shipbuilder previously said that the Hai Kun had completed at-sea systems tests, including periscope function, during the third phase of sea trials.
System parameters would be adjusted based on trial data, it said.
CSBC also conducted hyperbaric tests and underwater systems calibrations after the third phase of testing and before the submarine was moved to the dry dock on July 8.
The submarine, a prototype of a planned fleet of indigenous vessels, conducted its first tests starting on June 17, involving propulsion, steering, power systems, ventilation, telecoms and navigation instruments, CSBC said.
On June 26, it underwent a second round of tests, focusing on at-sea systems integration, vessel controls and operational capabilities, the company said.
The move to Pier 91 came as CSBC prepares for a new chairman, with board member Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) tapped for the job.
Huang Cheng-hung (黃正弘) last week resigned as chairman, citing family reasons. He is to take up a lecturing role at National Cheng Kung University.
Meanwhile, the CSBC Endeavor Manta, the company’s and the nation’s first military-grade uncrewed surface vehicle (USV), was seen in the area as the Hai Kun was moved on Tuesday.
Whether the USV was on patrol or conducting tests was unknown.
The USV uses a trimaran hull for better balance in choppy seas. It is 8.6m long and 3.7m wide, can carry up to 1 tonne of payload — including lightweight torpedoes and high-powered explosives — and has a top speed of 35 knots (64.8kph).
NETWORK-MAPPING PROJECT: The database contains 170 detailed files of Taiwanese politicians and about 23 million records of household registration data in Taiwan China has developed a network-mapping project targeting political figures and parties in Taiwan to monitor public opinion during elections and to craft tailored influence campaigns aimed at dividing Taiwanese society, according to documents leaked by Chinese technology firm GoLaxy (中科天璣). The documents, collected by Taipei-based Doublethink Lab, showed a database was specifically created to gather detailed information on Taiwanese political figures, including their political affiliations, job histories, birthplaces, residences, education, religion and a brief biography about them. Several notable Taiwanese politicians are in the database, including President William Lai (賴清德), former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍),
RECOGNITION: Former Fijian prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry said that Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy serves as a stabilizing force in the Indo-Pacific region Taiwan can lead the unification of the Chinese people, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former Polish president Lech Walesa said in Taipei yesterday, adding that as the world order is changing, peaceful discussion would find good solutions, and that the use of force and coercion would always fail. Walesa made the remarks during his keynote address at a luncheon of the Yushan Forum in Taipei, titled “Indo-Pacific Partnership Prospects: Taiwan’s Values, Technology and Resilience,” organized by the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Walesa said that he had been at the forefront of a big peaceful revolution and “if
KEY INDUSTRY: The vice premier discussed a plan to create a non-red drone supply chain by next year, which has been allocated a budget of more than NT$7.2 billion The government has budgeted NT$44.2 billion (US$1.38 billion) to cultivate Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) industry over the next five years, which would make the nation a major player in the industry’s democratic supply chain in the Asia-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday. Cho made the remarks during a visit to the facilities of Cub Elecparts Inc (為升電裝). Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Su-yueh (陳素月) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsieh Yi-fong (謝依鳳) also participated in the trip. Cub Elecparts has transitioned from the automotive industry to the defense industry, which is the top priority among the nation’s
UPGRADED MISSILE: The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology is reportedly to conduct a live-fire test of the Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missile on Thursday next week The US Army is planning to build new facilities to boost explosives production and strengthen its supply chain, a move aimed at addressing munitions shortages and supporting obligations to partners including Taiwan, Ukraine and Israel, Defense News reported. The army has issued a sources sought notice for a proposed Center of Excellence at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky, the report said. The facility would serve as a hub within the US industrial base for the production of key military explosives, including research department explosives (RDX) and high melting explosives (HMX), while also supporting research and development of next-generation materials. The proposed
RSS