The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology is developing an uncrewed underwater vehicle (UUV) as a technology test bed for submarine systems, a high-level defense official said on Saturday.
The NT$3.6 billion (US$128.2 million) Hui Long Project, which began in 2019, is to produce a small to medium-sized vehicle to test sonar technology, and related surveillance and observation systems, the official said on condition of anonymity.
The program is part of the state-funded institute’s effort to build several test vessels — crewed and uncrewed — to test various systems coming out of the indigenous defense submarine program and other projects, the person said.
A UUV would be crucial in reducing the indigenous submarine program’s reliance on foreign governments to export sonar systems, torpedoes and other “red zone” components, the official said.
The program’s first phase is expected to be completed in 2024, the person said, without elaborating.
The indigenous submarine program “has a long road to travel” and the nation cannot afford to assume that allies will remain willing to transfer required technologies, the official said.
Other naval test platforms include the amphibious command ship ROCS Kaohsiung and the institute’s Glory Star, a test bed for large weapon systems and surface ship equipment, the person said.
The Hui Long Project would not qualify as a submarine, as it is being designed as a test platform and not to conduct undersurface warfare, the official said.
However, the program’s technologies could potentially be used for reconnaissance or attack UUVs to support a submarine fleet, the person said.
The combination of crewed submarines and UUVs would bolster the navy’s ability to fight Chinese People’s Liberation Navy submarines, the official said.
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