The navy’s Chien Lung-class submarines, the Hai Hu (海虎, Sea Tiger) and the Hai Lung (海龍, Sea Dragon), would undergo combat system trials next year, after upgrades to the Hai Hu are completed by the end of the year, military sources said yesterday.
The two submarines, bought from the Netherlands in the 1980s, have been undergoing combat system upgrades since 2018, which have cost NT$7.41 billion (US$231.78 million).
The changes to the Hai Hu include upgrading the submarine’s torpedo arsenal from AEG SUT 264 torpedoes to Mk-48 Mod 6 Advanced Technology torpedoes, the sources said, but added that delivery of the new torpedoes had been delayed and now expected to arrive next year.
Photo courtesy of the Presidential Office
The Hai Lung has already completed its upgrades.
Both submarines are to participate in major military exercises next year to assess their upgraded combat capabilities, sources said.
The overhaul also replaces the original Dutch-made systems with a combat system jointly developed by Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, and Lockheed Martin, which would significantly improve the submarines’ target acquisition and tracking capabilities, the sources said.
The submarines’ sonar, electronic support measures and guidance radar systems were also upgraded, enhancing stealth and situational awareness, they added.
Maintenance work included removing corrosion from torpedo tubes, and repainting and replacing key components to extend service life, the sources said.
In related news, President William Lai (賴清德) on Thursday visited the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), prompting questions about whether the vessel could be delivered to the navy as early as June, as some analysts have suggested.
Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said the ministry is proceeding step by step, ensuring all testing is completed safely.
“We will not set an arbitrary delivery date,” he said.
Asked whether Lai would be invited to join a test dive, Koo said such decisions should be left up to experts, adding that trials require naval personnel, technical specialists and shipbuilder CSBC Corp personnel on board.
The navy’s other two submarines, the Hai Shih (海獅, Sea Lion) and the Hai Pao (海豹, Seal), would continue to be used for training purposes, he added.
Additional reporting by CNA and Reuters
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS