An ongoing harbor acceptance test (HAT) for Taiwan's indigenous defense submarine prototype is nearly complete and the vessel is expected to be delivered to the navy before the end of next year as scheduled, navy Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Chiu Chun-jung (邱俊榮) said today.
The HAT for the Hai Kun (海鯤), or Narwhal, is 83 to 85 percent complete, Chiu told a legislative session.
Photo: Lee Hui-chou, Taipei Times
The following sea acceptance test is expected to begin in April and conclude by October before meeting the deliverance deadline in November, Chiu said.
This means that the process of testing the Hai Kun is on schedule, he told lawmakers.
Chiu made the remarks during a legislative session where he and Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) fielded questions on the latest developments in the submarine project.
The Hai Kun, Taiwan's first domestically built submarine prototype, was unveiled in Kaohsiung in September last year at a ceremony presided over by then-president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
The prototype began HAT in October last year and has been undertaking the final stage of the HAT since Feb. 27.
The project is part of a proposal by the military to build seven submarines from next year to 2038 at an estimated cost of NT$284 billion (US$8.88 billion), which was approved by the Cabinet on Aug. 30.
The budget proposal still needs to clear the Legislative Yuan.
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